Home > News > Doping Control >

ICF introduces interactive anti-doping education programme

2009-10-09 10:11 ICF

LAUSANNE, October 8, 2009 - Pure Paddling Performance, the International Canoe Federations’s Anti-Doping Education Programme, is an initiative to preserve the ‘spirit of sport’ by educating all Canoeing Athletes and Team Support Personnel in the important issue of Anti-Doping. The aim is to raise awareness of health risks and increase the Athletes’ knowledge of their rights and responsibilities regarding Anti-Doping.

In order to address various dimensions, the ICF has developed a long-term educational programme. This year’s activity targeted groups of young and lesser experienced Athletes as well as Athletes of non-Olympic disciplines. With a presence at various events throughout the year, the ICF were able to reach Athletes and their Team Support Personnel in Moscow, Thun and Crestuma. During each event the ICF reached up to half of all participants. Collaboration and assistance of several local National Anti-Doping Agencies (i.e. RUSADA, Antidoping Schweiz, ADoP) was much appreciated.

The Anti-Doping education continues with a new online education tool in order to guarantee a larger audience and reach more target groups. Pure Paddling Performance, the ICF’s online Anti-Doping education, provides an interactive learning experience made up of interactive videos and questions on a range of Doping topics, including Testing, Therapeutic Use Exemptions and Whereabouts. Real life situations form the basis and Users are tested with engaging exercises. Pure Paddling Performance has been developed in five languages including English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Further languages, for example Russian, will be available in the near future.

Upon completing all of the exercises, a diploma will be awarded. Eventually, the ICF will require all Canoe Athletes to complete this diploma in addition to other Anti-Doping requirements.

ICF Secretary General, Simon Toulson, who is of the opinion that education is critical to the ICF’s Anti-Doping strategy as a whole, is delighted with this online education tool. "Pure Paddling Performance delivers high education in a very engaging way, it is able to reach a large number of Athletes and Team Support Personnel in different languages and educates different topics of Anti-Doping, no matter whether they are beginners or advanced".

Andrew Coutts, Australian Team Manager, was introduced to Pure Paddling Performance at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Crestuma, Portugal. He told the ICF he hoped it would be up and running before the season in Australia starts again and summed it up as "a fun tool to educate Athletes on Anti-Doping."

Related Story