Doping poses one of the greatest threats to sport today.
It harms athletes, destroys fair play and equitable competition and does irreparable damage to the credibility of sport.(ASADA)
Almost one Australian athlete tests positive from a supplement every month.
Typically, these are not athletes at the elite level, who have the guidance of dieticians and strong support teams, but younger athletes or those at levels which have less support.
Below are policies, information, e-learning tools and apps that will increase awareness of antidoping issues that athletes and those who support them should be familiar with.
Swimming Australia's Policies
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
- 2019 Prohibited List
- 2020 Prohibited List
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the following prohibited substances and methods. It is vital that athletes familiarise themselves with the following information to ensure they are WADA compliant.



2020 Prohibited List (goes into effect 1 January 2020)
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the 2020 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List); the 2020 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes; and the 2020 Monitoring Program.
The List comes into force on 1st January 2020. It is vital that athletes familiarise themselves with the following information to ensure they are WADA compliant.



Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)
- Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)
-
- decide if you need a TUE?
- decide if you need a TUE in-advance or retroactively?
- with an explanation on what a retroactive TUE is
- with identifying the medical evidence needed for common TUE applications
A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method (of administering a substance) which may be present during competition.
Athletes may at times need to use a prohibited medication to treat a legitimate medical condition.
TUEs are administered by the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC).
TUE approval may protect athletes from receiving a sanction if a prohibited substance is found in their sample.
If an athlete’s doctor has a question regarding the status of a substance, they should check the substance on the Global Dro.
An exemption is only granted provided that there is no unfair advantage given to the athlete by taking the substance or using the method.
ASADA has a wealth of information on therapeutic use exemptions which can be found here.
This will assist you to:
TUE forms should be sent directly to ASDMAC for consideration.
Email: asdmac@asada.gov.au
Ph: +61 (02) 6222 4283

FINA Therapeutic Use Exemption
This form is for all swimmers in the FINA Registered Testing Pool (RTP); and/or those swimmers who compete internationally at FINA sanctioned events. Only TUE forms from athletes on the FINA RTP list should be submitted to Swimming Australia:
Attention: Lynn Fowlie
Swimming Australia Limited
PO Box 176, Belconnen, ACT 2616
Email: lynn.fowlie@swimming.org.au
Athlete Whereabouts
- Athlete Whereabouts
- International
- Domestic
- Summary of Key Suggestions

The Whereabouts program involves athletes who are part of the Registered Testing Pools (RTP). Athletes need to let FINA or ASADA (depending on which RTP list the athlete is on) know where they are going to be, at specific times, so that no-advance notice testing can be performed
ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System)
Athletes on the RTP lists are required to submit their whereabouts using ADAMS. These athletes will be issued with a login/password for ADAMS.
To access ADAMS:
For user guides and tips on how to use ADAMS:
Check out the ASADA website for ADAMS hints and tips
Important Contact
ADAMS Technical Helpdesk (based in Canada)
E: adams@wada-ama.org
P: +1 514 904 8800
SMS last minute whereabouts changes: +44 7781 480710
(They will appear on your calendar as an attachment.)
International
FINA Registered Testing Pool Athletes (International RTP)
All swimmers in the international RTP are required to submit their whereabouts information using ADAMS including:
o Permanent mailing address
o Residential address
o One-hour testing time
o Regular training schedule, including times and locations
Swimming Australia will notify a swimmer of their inclusion in FINA's RTP prior to the start of every quarter.
For information on FINA Whereabouts: https://www.fina.org/content/whereabouts
FINA Whereabouts
E: dcwhereabouts@fina.org
Domestic
ASADA Registered Testing Pool Athletes (Domestic RTP).
All swimmers in ASADA's RTP are required to provide accurate and up-to-date information on their whereabouts. Athletes on the domestic RTP will be informed in writing by ASADA and given information on how to use the ADAMS system.
For information on ASADA Whereabouts:
https://www.asada.gov.au/anti-doping-programmes/whereabouts
Read the ASADA Whereabouts Policy
If you require any assistance with ANY whereabouts issues or ideas on how to remain compliant, you can contact ASADA directly for help
Important Contact
ASADA Whereabouts
P: 13 000 ASADA (13 000 27232) If calling from outside Australia call: +61 2 6222 4200
E: athlete@asada.gov.au
o Set a phone alarm to remind you to check that you will be where you need to be for your designated time slot
o Save the Whereabouts SMS number in your phone, make sure the service is activated in your ADAMS profile
o Ask close friends and family to remind you to update, especially in the off-season or if on holiday
o Ensure friends and family are aware of your obligations as an athlete in the RTP
o Print a copy of your ADAMS calendar for those who may need to be aware, such as coaches
o Contact Swimming Australia if you need help. Please contact Lynn Fowlie Lynn.fowlie@swimming.org.au or Mark Osborne Mark.Osborne@swimming.org.au for assistance
o Submit Whereabouts information ahead of the submission deadline as this gives to time to address any technical issues if you happen to experience them
o Keep on top of updating Whereabouts information, as a pattern of last-minute Whereabouts updates could damage the chances of receiving a reduced sanction after a Whereabouts violation
o Make sure up-to-date email and phone numbers are saved in your ADAMS profile so reminders can be sent to you regarding submitting Whereabouts.
ASADA
- ASADA e-Education
- The importance of whereabouts to prevent and detect doping
- What information is required from athletes
- The difference between missed tests and filing failures
- Case studies of how athletes have received strikes
- The consequences of a strike.
- ASADA App
It is now a key compliance requirement that all members of the Australian Swim Team or participants in Swimming Australia Camps/ Tours and/or funded athletes, coaches and staff, are required to complete ASADA online education prior to attending team camps / tours or receiving funding. Anyone, who wants a better understanding of antidoping issues can access these courses.
ASADA e-Learning is a free and easy-to-use online education tool featuring online courses, videos and learning updates.
The Level 1 Course provides everyone with the opportunity to learn about the key areas of anti-doping such as prohibited substances and methods, Therapeutic Use Exemptions, doping control and whereabouts. The interactive course comprises of six modules and an assessment. Total time to complete this course is approximately 70 minutes.
The Level 2 Course is for athletes and support personnel who need to stay up to date on the latest information on anti-doping. This course is updated annually to reflect current trends in anti-doping. A certificate is issued upon completion and expires on 31st December each year. Pre-requisite for this course is the successful completion of the Level 1 course.
Follow this link to access these courses: ASADA Courses
Parents' Guide to Clean Sport
The Parents’ Guide to Clean Sport is available both as a brochure and as a short 15-20min online course, and covers topics such as healthy sport cultures, nutrition, the risks of supplements and doping risk factors, and includes links to websites for further useful information.
Links to both can be found on the ASADA website.
Whereabouts Course
ASADA has launched a new online course specifically focused on Whereabouts.
The course has been designed to help athletes and their support teams understand what Whereabouts is, and what it means to be placed on a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) or Domestic Testing Pool (DTP).
It includes information on:
The course takes around 15 minutes and is freely available through ASADA e-Learning.
ASADA recommends all sports who have athletes on the RTP or DTP to encourage those athletes to complete the course, especially new athletes being introduced to the system.
For further information please contact education@asada.gov.au


Almost one Australian athlete tests positive from a supplement every month. Typically, these are not athletes at the elite level, who have the guidance of dieticians and strong support teams, but younger athletes or those at levels which have less support.
Historically, ASADA’s advice to athletes has always been to simply not take any supplements, however, evidence shows that many athletes still use them – either of their own accord, or under the guidance of their support personnel. To help ensure athletes do not take high-risk supplements, we have recently launched the ASADA Clean Sport mobile and tablet app.
The ASADA Clean Sport App has been designed with athletes in mind.
The App gives a complete list of all supplements sold in Australia that have been screened for prohibited substances by an independent laboratory. These cannot give athletes a 100% safety guarantee but does significantly lower the risk of a positive test. For non-tested supplements, the App gives athletes access to a quiz to assess the risk posed by highlighting key risk factors.
The App can also be used to report doping, check if a medication is banned in sport, give ASADA feedback on testing missions, and complete online education modules.
Download the App
> iTunes App store
> Google Play Store
For more information about Antidoping, check out ASADA
Supplement Warnings
- Supplement Information
- SA Supplement Policy
- AIS Policy
- Global Dro (check your substances)
- Warnings
- Supplement Warning: OxyElite Pro
- HAN Supplement Information
Supplements are one of the leading causes of failed anti-doping tests in Australia with approximately one athlete testing positive every month.
ASADA’s long standing advice is that no supplement is safe to use and athletes should not risk their careers by taking a supplement.
This is because many supplements are contaminated with substances prohibited in sport, which may not be listed on ingredient labels.
For more information follow this link to ASADA.
The Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO) provides athletes and support personnel with information about the prohibited status of specific medications based on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Global DRO does not contain information on, or that applies to, any dietary supplements.
To check your substances follow this link.
Higenamine
In November 2016, ASADA published an athlete warning on the banned substance Higenamine, following a spike in the number of detections. Since that time, six more Australian athletes have tested positive for Higenamine, bringing the total number of positives for that substance to 13 across nine different sports.
ASADA has published an athlete warning about these ingredients. Full details available here
Supplement Warning:
ASADA repeated its warning to athletes about the risk of using supplements which may contain banned substances not listed on product labels.
The warning follows new research released which found that, of 67 common Australian supplements analysed, almost one in five contained banned substances. Full details here.
Can cause: Acute Hepatitis and Liver Failure Following the Use of a Dietary Supplement Intended for Weight Loss or Muscle Building
ASADA has received a warning which originally came from the United State Anti-Doping Agency. ASADA’s understanding of this specific supplement OxyELITE Pro is that it was banned by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in 2011 because it contained a prohibited ingredient.
Illicit Drugs in Sport
- Illicit Drugs in Sport
The Australian Government is working with National Sporting Organisations to develop a greater awareness of the dangers of illicit drugs and the impact they can have on our athletes and the broader community.
Through the Illicit Drugs in Sport (IDIS) Program, the Government is supporting National Sporting Organisations to ensure Australian athletes, coaches and administrators have the education and support to make the right choices when it comes to illicit drugs. For more information and resources click here