This article forms part of a series of reports accompanying the 2024-25 BF Annual Report.
In this report:
At the beginning of 2021 a new UK National Anti-Doping Policy was introduced, this is a Government policy that enables the UK to meet the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport. The policies and requirements are driven by the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) standards.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) then published an Assurance Framework that all NGBs must comply with. British Fencing (BF) has been leading the work in completing this framework for fencing, ensuring all anti-doping policies (including those of the Home Nations) comply with the new standards.
See details of the assurance framework on UKAD’s website here.
As part of this work, British Fencing produced an education strategy to cover all the requirements for this framework.
In April 2025 we will again complete this Assurance Framework under which the 2024-25 initiatives were delivered.
In April 2025, all BF’s anti-doping requirements will be reviewed and updated to ensure BF continue to meet the requirements of the UKAD assurance framework. We will complete a new implementation plan for our programme, using UKAD approved templates.
Activities in the 2024-25 period included:
Members of our educator team have attended multiple workshops and training webinars with UKAD and the International Testing Agency (ITA). These have looked at the latest updates, the changes to the prohibited list that are published every year, discussions with experts in anti-doping scientific and education research, and some online session delivery training.
As part of BF’s commitment to supporting Clean Sport, it is a requirement for all coaches travelling to international events or working with the GBR Pathway to have completed UKAD’s online course Coach Clean within the last two years.
The certificate upload is a field on the membership database to enable monitoring and automation of reminders when they are due for renewal.
Please see the Coach Clean course (for coaches working at all levels) and the Introduction to Clean Sport course (for anyone supporting an athlete in any role) on the UKAD eLearning portal here.
All fencers who are selected by BF for any international events (at all age groups, senior, junior, or cadet) now must specifically agree that they have the knowledge to compete clean and understand their clean sport responsibilities before their selection can be confirmed.
UKAD have an online education course for athletes, called Compete Clean+. GBR Pathway fencers have been strongly encouraged to do this course, and upload their certificate to their membership record on Sport:80. Fencers selected for major championships are required to complete this course and we have promoted the Introduction to Clean Sport course for all parents of selected athletes.
Fencers on the long list to be selected for the Paris Paralympics took part in an education session, Clean Games, delivered by UKAD to all Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Click here for the full 2024-25 Annual Report.
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