Athletes rights and confidentiality

Last week there were a lot of doping stories in the media about international swimming. First there was controversy around Chinese swimmer Sun Yang and Australian swimmer Mack Horton, then the provisional suspension of Australian swimmer Shayna Jack after a positive test for prohibited substance ligandrol.

So what are athletes’ rights in the doping control process, and how do we deal with confidentiality in NZ?

Drug Free Sport NZ aims to run rigorous and fair doping control processes that give clean Kiwi athletes confidence. If you encounter something that doesn’t feel right, write it down, and let us know.

In terms of confidentiality, we treat a positive test as confidential until all hearings have been completed.  We think it’s fair to first give athletes an opportunity to explain.

To recap, the media stories about Sun Yang included reports that:

• doping/blood collection officers attended an athlete’s house to take blood at 11pm
• a number of these officers did not hold accreditation (ID) to carry out their role
• videos and/or photos were taken throughout the process
• a security guard took a hammer to the vial of blood collected.

The second story included reports that there was a considerable delay in reporting the finding of a positive test.

I won’t comment on the specific cases as both are still within judicial processes, but here’s how DFSNZ approach these types of issues in NZ, and under the NZ Sports Anti-Doping Rules.

Read about athlete rights, expectations during the doping control process and confidentiality at Athlete rights.

We’re at the end of the phone (0800 DRUG FREE) if you need advice. Ring us, email us, get in touch with your questions. 

We’ve also been holding informal sessions over the past months to give athletes a chance to put us on the spot and raise any queries or issues. Give us a shout if you’re interested.

Nick Paterson

DFSNZ Chief Executive