Sports Medicine Australia, the peak organisation for professionals in sports medicine and science, has issued the following response in regards to the Australian Crime Commission report on drugs in sport.

Sports Medicine Australia Chief Executive Officer, Mr Nello Marino has said:

• Whilst the report is focused on the football codes, it indicates a serious threat to the integrity of all Australian sports through the use of Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) and the influence of unethical individuals and organised crime.
• The stakes in sport are driving some athletes and clubs at both the elite and sub-elite levels to take short cuts to peak performance and in the meantime place the athlete, club and sport under clear and present dangers.
• Whilst the negative effects of many PIEDs is well known, there is limited information about the long term effects of many of the substances cited in the report and clearly in use. This is a very serious risk to the health and wellbeing of athletes.
• The report identifies that some professionals are prepared to submit to unethical behaviours by administering banned and illegal substances. These individuals should face the strongest penalties available as a means of deterring their presence in sport now and in the future.
• SMA provides its full support to all sporting codes in the fight against the use of banned and illegal substances in sport, and encourages all sports medicine professionals to be vigilant in their observation and reporting of suspect behaviour and practices by players, officials, other personnel associated, including sport science and medical personnel. We need to weed out this sinister element from all sport.
• This is a very timely wake up call for everyone involved in Australian sport not to assume that we are all prepared to follow the rules and uphold the integrity of sport in order to achieve success, and that many are prepared to put personal gain ahead of all else without understanding, or being prepared to run the gauntlet of, the consequences.

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Media enquiries: Amanda Boshier, National Media Manager, phone 03 9674 8703 or mobile 0412 224 729.

The following spokespersons will be available for comment on the details of the supplements outlined in the report:

Dr Peter Larkins, Sports Physician.

Dr Ian Gillam, Exercise Physiologist.

Dr Jason Mazanov, Psychologist, Social science of drugs, Anti-doping policy implications and why it happened.