UK Anti-Doping performance sport and education manager Emilie Moffat wants to inspire a generation of athletes to develop healthy habits for life when it comes to clean sport.
Responsible for educating athletes around anti-doping, Moffatt spoke on a panel at Loughborough University Stadium during Clean Sport Week with a focus on the theme, ‘Journey to the Podium’.
Moffat shared invaluable insight on stage, with the panel hosted by triple Paralympic champion Giles Long as the discussion centred on para-athlete’s journeys and experiences.
She said: “We try and avoid athletes looking at the shortcuts and see it more as a lifestyle and making healthy habits for life.
“It’s so they have the knowledge to look outside and the tools to help them.
“It’s looking at what is going on outside their body and taking the right steps to avoid shortcuts.
“Our aim is to make sure athletes have education before any testing happens and they have that touchpoint at a talent level or further on with an NGB.
“We start planning this education from around two years out from the Games and the aim is to make opportunities available to have this education.
“Two years out feels long for an athlete, so we try and make the topic of anti-doping feel as engaging as possible.”
UKAD invites everyone working and participating in sport to join in with Clean Sport Week, from 13 – 17 May 2024.
The week-long campaign gives the sporting community a chance to celebrate clean athletes and discuss anti-doping in an informal, yet impactful way.
UKAD is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
Moffat hopes to ensure that practical solutions are found to protect athletes and raise awareness of testing experiences, which can often occur for the first time when competing abroad.
She said: “We can’t prepare for every situation, with toilets for example it’s out of our control.
“But what we do for athletes is teach them what to expect.
“We’ve had videos, games and previously we’ve done mock doping tests and then it’s about if there are issues, writing it down on the doping control form.
“If you’ve had some concerns, raise it because people want you to have a positive experience.
“The panel was varied in the sense that everyone has different roles, it’s so helpful to me to take that information back and use the feedback going forward.
“The journey is different for every athlete and when we’re creating the education, it’s important to celebrate and recognise those differences.”
