Commonwealth Games chiefs warned drugs cheats to stay well away from the Gold Coast 2018 event, as they “will be caught,” while stressing young athletes needed rigorous education about doping.
International sport has been rocked by allegations of widespread corruption and evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia, with questions being asked about the integrity of major competitions.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which controls the second-biggest multisport event after the Olympics, said a clear-cut program of educating athletes about their responsibilities — particularly impressionable youngsters — was vital in keeping competitions clean.
The CGF said coaches and parents also needed to be aware of banned substances, as it warned potential cheats to steer clear of the next Commonwealth Games, in Australia’s Gold Coast.
“You’ll be caught. Don’t do it and don’t come,” CGF president Louise Martin said.
“We want clean Games, athletes competing on a level playing field and knowing that whatever they do, they’ve done their best and they’ve been beaten by better people,” she said at the Commonwealth summit in Malta.
“Within the CGF, we’re working with all our 71 associations to ensure that their athletes are educated. They will have an educational session on anti-doping,” Martin said. “What we’re trying to get through to the athletes is that they never, ever take anything that they don’t know. Because once it goes into their mouth, they’re responsible.”
“If coaches say: ‘You should try this,’ if they’re not happy, they shouldn’t take it,” she said. “It is very difficult for young athletes who have never been in a situation like that before.”
“We can only educate, educate, educate,” the former Scotland swimmer said.
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