Doping Control for all Canadian Riders at 2009 NAJYR Champs

15 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Doping Control for all Canadian Riders at 2009 NAJYR Champs

OTTAWA, Canada, Apr. 6—All Canadian riders at the 2009 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships for the first time will be drug tested, Equine Canada announced Monday.

The drug testing will be under Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) rules that govern doping control in Canada and is compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and all international standards.

The NAJYR championships of dressage, eventing, jumping and reining will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park July 22-26 and includes both teams and individuals from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The venue has been completely redesigned for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“Equestrian sport is unique in that the rider is part of a horse-rider team,” said Dr. Adam Steacie, chair of the Equine Canada Human Medications Committee. “It is the rider who is responsible for both. Drugs affecting mental or physical performance of the rider can put both the rider and the horse at risk.

“Discussion of this responsibility is important in equestrian sport, as is the drug-free sport message in general. This teaches our athletes the procedure and process, so they will be more comfortable with the process in the future.”

The intent of the new program is an educational opportunity for all Canadian juniors and young riders, and for all up and coming riders to experience testing procedures used prior to a major international competition such as the Olympics, World Equestrian Games or Pan American Games. Normally, testing is conducted without advance notice to the riders. However, Equine Canada wanted to make this a positive experience for young and junior riders as they are transitioning into international level competition.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport CCES) has a Substance Classification Booklet online at http://www.cces.ca/pdfs/CCES-PUB-SubstanceClassification-E.pdf that outlines all permitted and prohibited substances as well as therapeutic use exemptions.

For additional information on the process that all junior and young rider competitors will undergo for testing as well as a FAQ on the testing process, visit http://www.cces.ca/pdfs/CCES-PUB-AthleteGuideDopingControl-E.pdf