Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport to lead anti-doping program at the TORONTO 2015 Games

TO2015's goal is clean Games with level playing field for all athletes competing

TORONTO, July 30, 2013 /CNW/ - The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) has announced the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) will lead anti-doping efforts at the Games.

The purpose of the TO2015 Anti-Doping Program is to prevent, deter and detect doping by educating athletes, advocating for a clean sport experience and providing doping control services before and during the Games on behalf of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The program will use the latest techniques and most up-to-date anti-doping strategies for the Games to ensure the 7,500 athletes coming from 40 countries to Canada will compete on a fair and level playing field.

It will also leave a legacy by training 10 new doping control officers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The Games are already leaving a legacy for sport with much-needed infrastructure in southern Ontario, including: world-class pools, a velodrome and a soccer stadium. These new doping control officers will strengthen Ontario's ability to successfully bid for more high-profile international competitions.

"In pursuit of excellence in anti-doping programs, TO2015 turned to the CCES, which is known as an international leader in the field of doping control and sport ethics, for leading-edge monitoring, surveillance and athlete education," said Dr. Julia Alleyne, TO2015's chief medical officer.

"Under the direction of PASO and the IPC, we'll ensure athletes understand their rights and responsibilities, are able to access information and services in all three languages of the Games and compete in a fair and safe manner."

Paul Melia, president and CEO of the CCES, added: "The CCES is proud to offer the latest anti-doping techniques to protect the rights of clean athletes so they can compete fairly and showcase their talent on an even playing field at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games."

Through the CCES, TO2015 is providing a free e-learning module for athletes in French, English and Spanish called True Sport Clean. The interactive site will be available to athletes and their support personnel before both sets of Games providing them with the most up-to-date information on the applicable anti-doping rules.

At Games time, the TO2015 Anti-Doping Program will involve more than 60 highly-trained doping control officers from across Canada, with experience at the London and Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as 30 new blood collection officers and 375 new athlete chaperones that will be hired and trained by CCES in the GTA.

The anti-doping chaperones notify athletes when they are selected for doping control and then escort them through the sample collection process.

The CCES will also recruit doping control officers from other recognized anti-doping programs throughout the Americas to ensure services are available in French, English and Spanish for athletes.

For the 2015 Parapan Am Games, the TO2015 Anti-Doping Program will provide training to its sample collection personnel in order to assess any modifications requested by para-athletes to the anti-doping process. All doping control stations will be fully accessible, visual aids and other items will be available to assist athletes, and all sample collection personnel will be fully trained to Paralympic anti-doping standards to ensure a robust anti-doping program.

About CCES
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. We are committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone. The CCES manages the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) which is the set of rules that govern doping control in Canada. Compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and all international standards, the CADP describes how the program is carried out and details the process of results management. It also sets the education standard for values-based sport in Canada.

About TO2015
The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) is tasked with the responsibility of planning, managing and delivering the Games. Its mission is to ignite the spirit through a celebration of sport and culture. The TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10−26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14.

The 2015 Games are funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as other partners and sponsors. CIBC is the Lead Partner of the Games.

For more information about the Games, please visit TORONTO2015.org.

SOURCE: Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

For further information:

Chelsey Gotell
Coordinator, Communications, TO2015
C: 647.205.7981
[e-mail]

Justin MacNeill
Communications Coordinator, CCES
613.521.3340 x3314
[e-mail]