| Drug Testing Policy
Gay Games VII - Drug Testing Policy
The Federation of Gay Games' principle of "personal best" encourages individuals to participate at their own level of skill without the use of performance enhancing drugs. The Federation of Gay Games and Chicago Gay Games condemn doping practices and the use of banned substances to enhance performance in sport. The use of such banned substances is contrary to fair play, is potentially harmful to the health of athletes and is, in some cases, unlawful.
After considerable research and careful consideration, Gay Games VII has decided to adopt the WADA (World Anti-doping Agency) list of banned substances, testing sample collection procedures, laboratory accreditation, and sample handling and storage procedures as part of the Gay Games VII Anti-doping Policy.
Gay Games VII supports and promotes Gay Games athletic events that are open, inclusive and non-elitist. We support events that are inclusive to all adults regardless of athletic abilities, medical conditions, and disabilities. The Federation of Gay Games does not condone the use of banned substances to enhance athletic performance in the Gay Games or for recreational purposes, and indeed believe that the use of such substances is contrary to its principles of participation, inclusion and personal best ™ as well as to the self-respect and self-empowerment that athletic training and participation in these events can foster.
The FGG discourages drug use, yet understands that because the Gay Games do not include only elite athletes, many of our constituents participate under special circumstances (asthma, cancer, diabetes, HIV, etc.). The FGG recognizes that there are legitimate medical conditions for which the prescribed use of some substances listed on the banned substances list is necessary. However, the safety of all athletes and the liability exposure of everyone involved must take precedence. The FGG encourages participation, inclusion, personal best™ whenever it is not in direct opposition to liability and safety factors for the participants, and in fact believes that these principles largely obviate the negative impact of the present Anti-doping Policy.
If the Sports Committee determines that a sport must be drug tested, then the most recent version of the WADA "World Anti-Doping Code" must be followed (www.wada-ama.org ). Gay Games VII will contract to have testing done by an approved laboratory that uses and abides by WADA standards.
At this time, the Sports Committee have determined that the following core sports must be drug-tested in each Gay Games, whether sanctioned or not, and whether the sanctioning body itself requires testing or not. The current list of drug-tested sports includes:
· Physique
· Powerlifting
· Wrestling
At the time of the award presentations for the drug-tested sports, the medal recipients will receive only the participation medal. The award presentations will be unofficial, until the results of the drug testing have been confirmed. At that time, the official results will be made public and the gold, silver, and bronze medals will be mailed to the finalists.
The list of banned substances is published as part of the WADA protocol and can be found in the most recent version of the WADA "Prohibited List. The list can be found on the WADA website at www.wada-ama.org . Please refer to this list for banned substances.
Therapeutic Approvals
There are no special waivers for any reason, including physician-directed medical regimens, unless it is part of the WADA Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) protocol as implemented by the relevant sanctioning body. Neither the FGG nor the Host will collect or archive any health information or make any attempt to manage health disclosures or waivers. All of this must be handled through the proper channels under the WADA TUE protocol of the sanctioning body.
Some sports, because of the nature of their sanctioning rules and procedures, must report failures or positive drug tests to the sanctioning body and/or the national anti-doping agencies that monitor the athletes in that sport. This is required should these same athletes attempt to participate later in Olympic, Paralympic or other international Games.
· Physique: the reporting of failed tests is an automatic process handled between the WADA-approved laboratory and the sanctioning body.
· Powerlifting: the reporting of failed tests is an automatic process handled between the WADA-approved laboratory and the sanctioning body.
· Wrestling: Gay Games is not an Olympic qualifying event, and therefore drug testing is considered optional. Although the FGG requires drug testing for this sport, it would not require reporting of failed results to the national governing body or FILA.
Participants will be referred to the relevant sanctioning body for information on possible sanctions imposed. As an example, the following sanctions apply for positive drug tests based on rules and guidelines established by WADA and the sport governing bodies:
1. The sanction applied for a first offense (e.g. failed test) results in a two-year suspension from all competitions associated with the sports governing body for that sport.
2. The sanction applied for a second offense results in a lifetime suspension from competition.
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