The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) has developed a world-first mobile app to help counter accidental doping by sportspeople.
Launched by the Minister for Sport, Senator Bridget McKenzie, the ASADA Clean Sport app has been designed to mitigate the risk posed to athletes by nutritional supplements.
Visiting the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village, Senator McKenzie said being tested for performance enhancing drugs could be a very intimidating time, especially for young athletes.
“Every month, at least one Australian athlete tests positive from a supplement contaminated with a prohibited substance,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Five athlete sanctions have already been announced in 2018 alone as a result of supplement use.
“The new ASADA Clean Sport app gives athletes a complete list of all supplements sold in Australia that have been screened for prohibited substances by an independent laboratory.”
She said that while this could not give athletes a 100 per cent safety guarantee, it did significantly lower the risk of a positive test.
“It also gives athletes access to a new quiz to assess the risk posed by other non-tested supplements by highlighting key risk factors,” the Minister said.
“The new app also provides athletes with the functionality to report doping, check if a medication is banned in sport, give feedback on testing missions, and complete online education modules.”
Chief Executive of ASADA, David Sharpe (pictured) said using new, innovative technologies was the key to engaging and educating athletes, and ASADA would deliver even more unique approaches to educating athletes about their rights and responsibilities in future.
