AFL and ASADA change ruling on drug testers, now need to undergo COVID-19 tests before player contact
The AFL and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) have backflipped on a ruling around anti-doping testers, who’ll now required to undergo a coronavirus assessment before having contact with players.
It was revealed by The Age on Thursday that ASADA testers had permission to access clubs and players and carry out performance-enhancing drugs tests without needing to have COVID-19 tests themselves.
The move drew strong criticism from Brownlow Medallist and Fox Footy expert Gerard Healy, who labelled the decision “bizarre and downright negligent”.
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But the league and ASADA on Friday night released a joint statement, confirming it had updated the protocols.
“The AFL and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) have moved to alter their agreed protocols around testing players during COVID-19,” the statement read.
“The original protocols for testing were put in place in collaboration with ASADA, the AFL and the league’s Chief Medical Officer.
“Under the new protocols in consultation with the AFL, ASADA testing staff will undergo COVID tests before coming into contact with players.”
Healy on Thursday night said the original call was another example of “bizarrely hypocritical nonsense from governments at all levels”.
“In the world of sport there is nothing, and I repeat nothing, more bizarre and downright negligent from a government authority than the behaviour of ASADA,” Healy told 3AW’s Sportsday.
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“The AFL are spending millions of dollars complying with the government’s chief health officer demands to create isolation hubs to protect players from possible infection. Players themselves have accepted onerous living conditions to get the game underway.
“But at the same time, the government body is sending ASADA testing operatives into the hubs to test players for drugs, but they themselves haven’t been tested for coronavirus. It seems bizarre.
“The bottom line is this: In trying to keep the game drug free, they could infect players in the hub and seriously disrupt the season.
“Ironically, the government body that exists to keep the sport clean, could in fact bring it down with its own lack of coronavirus hygiene.”
The league is unable to prevent testers from entering clubs, given they are part of the ASADA and WADA codes. They will also not be able to force testers to undertake a COVID-19 test.