Results Management

The following is intended to give you a summary of what can happen when your sample is tested by a WADA accredited laboratory. Similar proceedings would occur in the case of an athlete or athlete support personnel being investigated for other anti-doping rule violations such as refusal to undertake an anti-doping test or three whereabouts failures in 18 months. However the discussion below on results management focuses on the results management process following an anti-doping test result.

Samples (urine and blood) collected by the Irish Sports Council are sent to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory for testing. There are three possible outcomes following sample analysis:

(1) Negative Result - no prohibited substances or methods are detected in your sample. Your NGB is responsible for informing you of the result of your negative anti-doping test. If you do not receive a result please contact your Anti-Doping Officer and ask that they forward you your result.

(2) Atypical Finding - Some prohibited substances are produced naturally in the body. In certain circumstances the presence of such substances in the A Sample may result in the laboratory reporting an Atypical Finding.

On receiving an A Sample Atypical Finding, the Irish Sports Council reviews:

• if a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) has been granted to you, or if you are entitled to apply for a post-test TUE, in which case the Irish Sports Council will contact you to inform you of the process to make this post-test TUE application
• if there has been a departure from the International Standard for Testing or International Standard for Laboratories that may have caused the atypical finding

Following the review, the Irish Sports Council will make a decision whether to refer the case to the Disciplinary Panel for adjudication. In this case the ISC will forward all details to you, the athlete your National Governing Body, and the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in accordance with Article 7.3.2.

(3) Adverse Analytical Finding*

On receiving an A Sample Adverse Analytical Finding, the Irish Sports Council reviews:

• if a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) has been granted to you, or if you are entitled to apply for a post-test TUE, in which case the Irish Sports Council will contact you to inform you of the process to make this post-test TUE application
• if there has been a departure from the International Standard for Testing or International Standard for Laboratories that may have caused the adverse analytical finding

Following the review, the Irish Sports Council will make a decision whether to refer the case to the Disciplinary Panel for adjudication. In this case the ISC will forward all details to you, the athlete, your National Governing Body, and the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in accordance with Article 7.3.2.
(*The term 'adverse analytical finding' is the technical term for what people often refer to as a 'positive' anti-doping test)

Disciplinary Proceedings

Normally the NGB has responsibility for results management but in some cases results management may be administered by the International Federation instead (Article 7.1 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules addresses this).

Mandatory Provisional Suspension after A Sample Adverse Analytical Finding

When an A Sample Adverse Analytical Finding is received for a Prohibited Substance, other than a Specified Substance, a Provisional Suspension must be imposed promptly by the National Governing Body, prior to the analysis of the B Sample or a final hearing.

Optional Provisional Suspension based on A Sample Adverse Analytical Finding for Specified Substances

When an Adverse Analytical Finding is received for a Specified Substance a Provisional Suspension may be imposed by the National Governing Body.

B Sample

You, the athlete, are informed of the adverse analytical finding. As part of this notification to you, your right to request the analysis of the B sample will be explained. If you choose not to request an analysis of the B Sample, the Irish Sports Council may nonetheless decide to proceed with the B Sample analysis. You and/or your representative have the right to attend the analysis of the B Sample, along with possible representatives of the Irish Sports Council, your International Federation and your National Governing Body.

If the B Sample does not confirm the A Sample then the entire test shall be considered as negative. If the B Sample analysis confirms the A adverse analytical finding, the case proceeds to a hearing.

Hearing & Appeals

A hearing is held by the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ISADDP), where the Chair of the Panel appoints three members to hear and determine the case. The relevant NGB presents the case against the athlete who has breached its anti-doping rules. Decisions made by the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ISADDP) may be appealed in accordance with Article 13 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules 2009. The Irish Sports Council is not generally specifically involved in hearings other than as an observer, but if necessary we may become a party.

Consequences

An anti-doping rule violation may result in sanctions ranging from a formal warning to a life-time ban from sport. Your competition results could be disqualified and you could forfeit your medals, titles, points and prizes, as well as withdrawal of funding from the Irish Sports Council or other relevant bodies.

You could be banned ('declared ineligible') from sport, which means that you may not participate in any capacity in a competition, event or activity organised, convened, authorised or recognised by any National Governing Body, or by a member or affiliate organisation or licensee of a National Governing Body, i.e. you cannot participate in any club, team, association or league.

Coaches, doctors and all athlete support personnel are also bound by the Irish Anti-Doping Rules, i.e. if found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation, a hearing and sanctions could be imposed on the athlete support personnel. You could be banned ('declared ineligible') from sport, which means you cannot work with, treat or assist any Athlete participating in any capacity in National Governing Body activities.

If more than one member of a team has committed an anti-doping rule violation implications for the entire team could include target testing of the team, as well as sanctions being imposed on individual team athletes and the entire team. (see Article 11 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules)

Note: this webpage is a summary of the results management process following an anti-doping test; it is strongly recommended that you read the Irish Anti-Doping Rules to gain a full understanding of the results management process.

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