As athletes, you train day in and day out, and you have countless people helping you along the way. But do you know who those people really are? Do they have your best interests at heart? The World Anti-Doping Code has a rule specifically designed to protect you, but it also requires that you be diligent about who you associate with.
What is the Prohibited Association Rule?
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recognizes that athletes who cheat typically do not do so alone. Oftentimes, there are people alongside them encouraging and enabling that behavior. To address this and protect athletes from individuals who would exploit a position of influence, the World Anti-Doping Code prohibits an athlete—or any other person subject to the rules—from knowingly associating in a professional or sport-related capacity with a sanctioned or otherwise disqualified Athlete Support Person.
Keep in mind that the definition of “Athlete Support Person” is broader than you might expect: it includes not only coaches, trainers, doctors, and agents, but also any other athlete or person who is working with, treating, or assisting an athlete participating in or preparing for sports competition.
Examples of prohibited association include:
- obtaining training, strategy, technique, nutrition, or medical advice;
- receiving therapy or treatment;
- allowing the support person to serve as your agent or representative.
Prohibited association doesn’t need to involve any form of compensation.
The Three Types of Prohibited Association
The rule covers association with an Athlete Support Person in any of the following situations:
- The Athlete Support Person is serving a period of ineligibility imposed under anti-doping rules.
- The Athlete Support Person has been convicted or found in a criminal, disciplinary, or professional proceeding to have engaged in conduct that would have constituted an anti-doping rule violation. This disqualifying status remains in force for the longer of six years from the date of that decision, or the duration of the sanction imposed.
- The Athlete Support Person is acting as a front or intermediary for a person described above.
Why was it enacted?
The prohibited association rule was introduced in the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code to ensure that individuals who have committed anti-doping rule violations cannot gain positions of power or influence over athletes through support roles.
What is the Penalty?
A violation requires an anti-doping organization, such as USADA, to prove that you knew of the Athlete Support Person’s disqualifying status. The burden is on you, however, to establish that any association was not in a professional or sport-related capacity, or that it could not reasonably have been avoided. Importantly, an anti-doping organization is not required to notify you of a person’s disqualifying status before alleging a violation.
If a violation is established, the default sanction is a two-year period of ineligibility, which can be reduced to a minimum of one year depending on your degree of fault and the specific circumstances of the case.
Protecting yourself starts with knowing who you are working with. Both WADA and USADA publish Prohibited Association lists identifying Athlete Support Personnel who are currently sanctioned. Be sure to check the lists, and do not hesitate to ask questions if something feels off.
