“Natural Power – Say No! to Doping” will be launched at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Powerlifting Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 3 November, and will cover regional championships as well as April’s World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
IPC Powerlifting today (4 October) announced an extensive programme of education and support to reduce doping in the sport, which will be rolled out across several upcoming international competitions, including the 2014 World Championships.
The programme, which will be funded by the Agitos Foundaton, not only aims to target approximately 500 lifters, but their coaches and the support networks which surround them throughout training and competition.
All groups will be provided with various opportunities to attend sessions where they will be given one-to-one education, training and practical testing of the knowledge they have gained. They will be shown the wealth of resources available through the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to support them in their training regimes, and will be offered a variety of branded merchandise to show their commitment to anti-doping.
Those leading the education sessions will be respected figures with years of anti-doping experience, knowledge and expertise.
Jon Amos, Chairperson of the IPC Powerlifting Sport Technical Committee said: “We are extremely serious about tackling doping in powerlifting. It is an unwanted and unnecessary negative issue surrounding the more positive images of our sport and one that we must all share the responsibility in making sure it does not come to characterise it.
“That is why we have created this education programme – to reach out to athletes, their coaches and teams during competitions in very practical ways, and by encouraging them to demonstrate their commitment to anti-doping amongst the sport community.
The announcement of the “Natural Power – Say No! to Doping” programme comes on the same day the IPC made public that Russian powerlifter Ilnar Latypov will serve a two year suspension for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
