Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Anti-Doping has refused requests to share information or samples with any national anti-doping agency or international federation seeking to access samples for analysis relating to any British Olympic athletes since 2012.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Any information which UK Anti-Doping receives is handled with the strictest data protection compliance. Therefore, it is not always possible for UK Anti-Doping to share information or samples from British athletes with third parties when this breaches data handling requirements.
UK Anti-Doping has already publicly set out its position on sending samples related to the investigation of Alberto Salazar to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. To date, the World Anti-Doping Agency has not requested to reanalyse any of UK Anti-Doping’s samples of British athletes overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar.
UK Anti-Doping has always supported the work of other anti-doping organisations and the World Anti-Doping Agency. When UK Anti-Doping cannot share information or samples, it always works for a constructive outcome to progress cases where there is a joint interest.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Anti-Doping has ever refused to provide samples requested by (1) the World Anti-Doping Agency, or (2) the United States Anti-Doping Agency, from British athletes whose training was overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar or his colleagues at the Nike Oregon Project.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Any information which UK Anti-Doping receives is handled with the strictest data protection compliance. Therefore, it is not always possible for UK Anti-Doping to share information or samples from British athletes with third parties when this breaches data handling requirements.
UK Anti-Doping has already publicly set out its position on sending samples related to the investigation of Alberto Salazar to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. To date, the World Anti-Doping Agency has not requested to reanalyse any of UK Anti-Doping’s samples of British athletes overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar.
UK Anti-Doping has always supported the work of other anti-doping organisations and the World Anti-Doping Agency. When UK Anti-Doping cannot share information or samples, it always works for a constructive outcome to progress cases where there is a joint interest.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tests were undertaken by UK Anti-Doping in the UK during the periods (1) January to March 2019, (2) April to June 2019, (3) July to September 2019, (4) October to December 2019, (5) January to March, (6) April to June, and (7) July to September.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
UK Anti-Doping defines a test as any attempt to test a single athlete in a single Sample Collection Session. During the periods:
January to March 2019, it conducted 3,803 tests
April to June 2019, it conducted 2,212 tests
July to September 2019, it conducted 2,943 tests
October to December 2019, it conducted 2,789 tests
January to March 2020, it conducted 2,512 tests
April to June 2020, it conducted 126 tests. The drop in testing during this period was due to UK Anti-Doping’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to Covid-19.
July to September 2020. The testing statistics for this period have not yet been released.
All testing in the first quarter of 2020-2021 (April-June 2020) conducted in the UK was done in England. However, this does not mean that athletes from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were not tested during this time. UK Anti-Doping publishes its testing figures on a quarterly basis and combines the figures for blood and urine samples. This ensures transparency of its testing activity, while protecting the confidential methodology which goes into planning a testing programme.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) blood samples, and (2) urine samples have been collected by UK Anti-Doping in the UK each month since March, in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, and (d) Wales.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
UK Anti-Doping defines a test as any attempt to test a single athlete in a single Sample Collection Session. During the periods:
January to March 2019, it conducted 3,803 tests
April to June 2019, it conducted 2,212 tests
July to September 2019, it conducted 2,943 tests
October to December 2019, it conducted 2,789 tests
January to March 2020, it conducted 2,512 tests
April to June 2020, it conducted 126 tests. The drop in testing during this period was due to UK Anti-Doping’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to Covid-19.
July to September 2020. The testing statistics for this period have not yet been released.
All testing in the first quarter of 2020-2021 (April-June 2020) conducted in the UK was done in England. However, this does not mean that athletes from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were not tested during this time. UK Anti-Doping publishes its testing figures on a quarterly basis and combines the figures for blood and urine samples. This ensures transparency of its testing activity, while protecting the confidential methodology which goes into planning a testing programme.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a claim by athletes at a testing location that someone in their household is self-isolating, quarantining or shielding provides sufficient grounds for UK Anti-Doping not to continue with testing; and how many cases in each of these categories have been noted by UK Anti-Doping since the restrictions arising from COVID-19 were imposed.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
If attempting testing at an athlete’s home, Doping Control Personnel or “Testers” will check whether anyone present at the athlete’s residence is self-isolating, quarantining or shielding. If so, then this would provide sufficient grounds for UK Anti-Doping not to continue with testing. If testing outside of an athlete’s home, Doping Control Personnel will check the athlete does not have Covid-19, Covid-19 symptoms, or is in an at risk-group before proceeding. UK Anti-Doping has developed a protocol which its Doping Control Personnel are required to follow to determine whether an athlete can be tested. This procedure is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s guidance for resuming testing, and is fully outlined on UK Anti-Doping’s website.
Doping Control Personnel also warn the athlete that if they (or anyone else on their behalf) provide any information which is later found to be false, misleading, inaccurate or incomplete they may be committing the Anti-Doping Rule Violation of ‘Tampering or Attempted Tampering’ which could result in sanctions.
So far, there have not been any cases where testing has not proceeded due to self-isolation, quarantining or shielding.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the ending of the statute on limitations this year for testing samples collected at the London Olympic Games in 2012, (1) how many anti-doping violations were found from retested samples collected in London; (2) what percentage of the urine samples collected at the London Olympic Games were re-analysed; and (3) which Olympic champions and medallists were stripped of their medals.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government does not hold the data to answer this question. The samples collected during the London Olympic Games in 2012 were done so under the jurisdiction of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), rather than UK Anti-Doping (the UK’s national anti-doping organisation). As LOCOG no longer exists, it is therefore the IOC that has the ability to reanalyse the samples collected at the Games. UK Anti-Doping has welcomed the reanalysis of samples from previous Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many out-of-competition tests UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has undertaken since the decision to reduce the UKAD testing programme as a result of COVID-19 was announced on 17 March.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) publishes its doping test figures on a quarterly basis to preserve the integrity of the test allocation process and ensure the “no advance notice” testing principle is protected. Therefore, UKAD’s figures for the in- and out-of-competition tests it has carried out since 17 March 2020 are only partially available.
Testing figures for Q4 of 2019/20, which covers January-March 2020, have been published on UKAD’s website. According to this report, the domestic and international Anti-Doping Testing Programme carried out 2,512 tests during this period. Testing figures for Q1 of 2020/21, which covers April-June 2020, will be published after the period is complete.
Athletes are not required to declare in advance of tests if they, or anyone they are living with, are at higher risk from, or clinically extremely vulnerable to, COVID-19. UKAD has asked athletes and National Governing Bodies to provide this information to help their planning, however does not have plans to make this publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tests have been carried out by Doping Control Personnel in athletes' homes since 17 March; and how many athletes declared in advance of these tests that they were living with people who are (1) at higher risk from, or (2) clinically extremely vulnerable to, COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) publishes its doping test figures on a quarterly basis to preserve the integrity of the test allocation process and ensure the “no advance notice” testing principle is protected. Therefore, UKAD’s figures for the in- and out-of-competition tests it has carried out since 17 March 2020 are only partially available.
Testing figures for Q4 of 2019/20, which covers January-March 2020, have been published on UKAD’s website. According to this report, the domestic and international Anti-Doping Testing Programme carried out 2,512 tests during this period. Testing figures for Q1 of 2020/21, which covers April-June 2020, will be published after the period is complete.
Athletes are not required to declare in advance of tests if they, or anyone they are living with, are at higher risk from, or clinically extremely vulnerable to, COVID-19. UKAD has asked athletes and National Governing Bodies to provide this information to help their planning, however does not have plans to make this publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of UK registered athletes are adhering to requirements to provide Whereabouts information in the Anti-Doping Administration Management System.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
There are currently 561 athletes registered on UKAD’s National Registered Testing Pool and Domestic Testing Pool, with an approximate 50/50% split between the two pools. These athletes are required to provide their Whereabouts via the Anti-Doping Administration Management System to enable out-of-competition testing.
Whereabouts Failures for the current period will be reported in the next Quarterly Testing Reports, likely to be published in mid-July on UKAD’s website.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK registered athletes are currently selected for inclusion in UK Anti-Doping out-of-competition testing.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
There are currently 561 athletes registered on UKAD’s National Registered Testing Pool and Domestic Testing Pool, with an approximate 50/50% split between the two pools. These athletes are required to provide their Whereabouts via the Anti-Doping Administration Management System to enable out-of-competition testing.
Whereabouts Failures for the current period will be reported in the next Quarterly Testing Reports, likely to be published in mid-July on UKAD’s website.