The Forum for Anti-doping in Recreational Sport 2

The FAIR Project developed a robust international, research-driven evidence base to inform future policy, practice, and interventions into the problem of doping in recreational sport (and specifically to include dietary and food supplements used by sportspeople). Moreover, it supported and developed initiatives aimed at raising awareness within each MS public health sector in order to make an active contribution to the prevention of doping in recreational sport; developed a platform to share and disseminate a consistent and agreed understanding of legislation, regulations and good practice in relation to the prevention of doping in recreational sport and to facilitate effective networks for the exchange of actions, campaigns, data and policies. The project objectives were divided into different areas of action but based on the framework of the Study on Doping Prevention to provide a focus for developing a Europe-wide network to review and evaluate existing approaches through its annual forums. Principally, the project partners divided into two main technical expert groups(TEGs):TEG 1 reviewed and recorded interventions in anti-doping in recreational sport by looking at existing interventions to assess their effectiveness and how they could be replicated and/or amended for effective use in other Member and define the responsibilities of different stakeholders and government representatives. TEG 2 overviewed current practice in the area of food/supplements for sport people and assess the burden of responsibility placed upon sportspeople in relation to the use of sports foods and supplements. During the lifetime of the project some new development work of European standards (CEN/TC 453 “Doping prevention in sport — Good development and manufacturing practices aimed at preventing the presence of prohibited substances in food intended for sports people and food supplements”) has begun. This initiative of the French Standard Organisation underlined the policy relevance of the FAIR Project and increased the opportunity of collaboration with the European food and drink sector. A third main action was the organisation of the Annual Forum for open discussion and objective thinking about reducing the prevalence of doping in recreational sport. The three forums have been highly successful in raising awareness of many doping issues and in providing a platform for doping stakeholders and policy makers to discuss and promote the project findings and outcomes, present new research and/findings and to contribute to the development of effective, proven interventions.The actions of the partners were supported by incisive research undertaken by 4 different PhD/Master students from Aarhus, Leeds Beckett, and Swansea Universities. The FAIR project set out to inform key stakeholders and policy makers on evidence-based planning and to encourage them to adopt the good practices and to use the information material/tools to raise awareness of doping issues to their users. Specifically, the project wished to address future policy towards the EU Institutions, national policy-makers and Anti-Doping Organisations, recreational sporting cubs, associations and federations and also individual instructors, trainers and coaches. The project started with an agreed work plan, detailed administration procedures, timeframes and expected outcomes. By focusing on the effectiveness of existing prevention strategy actions, the scope of the project was kept highly focused and deliverable.The overall findings of the Study on Doping Prevention provided an overview of activities in all 28 MS, and in the FAIR project all 29 NADOs supplied additional information for inclusion in the updated SoDP fact sheets. This important work of updating their position has identified changes that have occurred since their publication in early 2015 and will keep the SoDP up to date as the most relevant source of information for anti-doping in recreational sport in the EU.