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NEWS & EVENTS
Brunei steps up anti-doping efforts
Friday, October 25, 2013

The Brunei Darussalam Anti-Doping Committee (BDADC) held an anti-doping outreach programme on Wednesday in a bid to combat doping in sports.

The programme aims to spread anti-doping awareness to the community while increasing the understanding and knowledge on doping and its effects.

Approximately 60 people - students and members of the general public - attended the programme facilitated by Awang Sukardi Kaderi, the head of education and outreach of BDADC at the Brunei Politeknik building at Jalan Ong Sum Ping.

Awang Sukardi explained that doping is the use of performance enhancing drugs to improve an athlete's performance, most of which are forbidden by organisations that regulate competitions.

"I hope that this talk will help to raise awareness of our young students and future potential athletes regarding doping," he told The Brunei Times on Wednesday.

"Most athletes do not realise that they may be doping... so we need to educate and inform them on this, especially when these kind of enhancing drugs were easily available," he explained.

He added that athletes and sports leaders need to understand the dangers and risks of doping in sports, emphasising the long term consequences and effects of doping.

"We are hoping to hold more education and outreach programmes to schools in the future to educate all these students at young age."

"The national symposium on anti-doping will be held sometime next year and we are looking forward to that," he added.

According to the press release sent by the organisers, Brunei has been a long member of world forums on anti-doping and has signed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Convention.

WADA is an anti-doping agency that educates athletes at major international and multi-sport events through direct one-on-one interaction with anti-doping experts.

The agency facilitates the coordination of regional anti-doping organisations by bringing together countries where there are no or limited anti-doping activities so that they can pool resources to implement anti-doping regulations.

WADA also promotes global research to identify and detect doping substances and methods; exploring new models for enhanced detection; develops and maintains the annual list of prohibited substances and methods; accredits anti-doping laboratories worldwide; monitors therapeutic use exemptions granted by stakeholders.

Courtesy from Brunei Times