NTU Clean Sport

NTU is proud to support UKAD in the battle against doping in sport!

The 2019-2020 season is underway, and NTU sport are looking to carry on the strong start through to a top 10 BUCS finish! Clean Sport is an integral part of the sports culture here at NTU, and is supported 100% by the sports department. Clean Sport is important because it protects both the culture of sport, and the spirit of competition, allowing true athletes, who dedicate themselves in the right way, to perform and succeed at the highest level of university sport and beyond. Clean Sport also protects athletes who may be uneducated on the risks associated with performance enhancers. Due to these factors NTU support UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) and Clean Sport.

By participating in doping, users gain an unfair, and undeserved advantage over competition, showing total disregard to the culture of sport. This takes away from the hard work clean athletes put in each day, be that through training, diet or other disciplines. These unfair advantages are disrespectful to athletes who participate in clean sport, and an insult to the spirit of fair of competition. The use of drugs to enhance one’s performance will in time, discourage true athletes from competing fairly or competing at all.

From a fan, or spectator’s side, the thrill of seeing true athletes perform is clouded, and takes away from the awe of witnessing top athletes compete.

These views are shared by NTU sport scholars who believe putting in the hard work every day is the only way to get an edge on in a game. With one of the rugby scholars jokingly saying that the right way to prepare is ‘drink lots of milk and eat lots of chicken.’ Another NTU athlete reflected on how it would make them feel to lose to a team with players who were doping, saying it would kill them.

Another factor to consider regarding doping is that it can be a serious threat to the health of athletes. The safety of athletes at NTU is of serious importance, and the health risks alone are enough to demonstrate why NTU sport supports Clean Sport.

Finally, it is imperative for anyone participating in sport, to keep up to date with the most recent information about doping. This can always be found on the UKAD website. It has a page on the banned substances list, some of which may surprise you. So always check your medication!