Anti-Doping Rules || Sports Supplements || Therapeutic Use Exception (TUE)
2010 Full Drug Policy || 2010 List of Prohibited Substances || Drug Testing Procedures

Please Note:
Under the 2010 Anti-Doping Policy, INBA are increasing the sanctions and consequences for those who disregard our drug-free rules and disrespect our natural competitors and organization. Cheating in INBA events is a serious offence and harsh penalties are necessary to work as a deterrent. Overandabove the disqualification and ban applied under our anti-doping policy (and INBA sanctions against the athlete apply if they compete in any Olympic or other International sport) INBA may publish the athlete's name, photograph and drug-test results on INBA websites. The Australian Government will also issue a separate, public media release in conjunction to listing the athlete’s name with each relevant government body.

Anti-doping programs seek to preserve what is intrinsically valuable about sport. Anti-Doping Rules, like Competition rules, are sport rules governing the conditions under which sport is played. Athletes accept these rules as a condition of participation.
- World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

Introduction

The purpose of this information is to clearly outline the conditions and responsibilities of an INBA Member in relation to our Drug Policy. We define what is considered a drug violation, how the drug policy and testing process functions and what to do if your health requires your doctor to prescribe a banned drug (for a legitimate medical reason).

The corner stone behind the success of the INBA has been the resilience of our competitor's ethics. Our competitors chose the INBA because they value the concept of 'fair play', refuse to take drugs, have an awareness of the harmful effects of drug use and support the INBA's stringent drug testing and Doping Policy. Since our first contest in 1991, the INBA has contracted the accredited WADA (and formerly IOC) drug testing body, the Australian Sports Anti-Drug Authority (ASADA). Our 19-year history with ASADA, an independent government agency, demonstrates our serious intent and endeavour to keep Natural Bodybuilding drug free and use the highest world standard available in drug detection.

The INBA enforces drug testing on the day of the contest as well as between contests. Click here to read the testing procedure. Drug testing at the event and whom is tested, is usually under the control of the Australian Sport Anti-Drug Authority (ASADA). Obviously, competitors who display characteristics associated with drug use will be targeted as well as top place getters. Between contests, INBA athletes are subject to our 'no notice' Random Drug Testing Program (RDTP). Testing is again conducted by ASADA. Each member supplies the INBA with an Athlete Information Form outlining their usual place and time of training as well as home and work details. ASADA can arrive 'without notice' at a member's training location, home or work and notify them a urine sample must be collected.

In 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to take over the position and role the IOC played as the drug authority in sport. Since this time WADA has comprehensively rewritten the Doping substances, standards and protocols for sporting bodies, which are now referred to as the Code. On January 1st 2004 the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) authority came into force. As such, each Country and Sporting group must be a signatory of WADA to be able to compete in the Olympic Games. The aim of WADA is to implement a Doping Policy that is standardised across all sports and all Countries. Furthermore all signatories uphold sanctions imposed by any WADA signatory; therefore a banned athlete, for the duration of the ban, cannot compete in another sport. The INBA has adapted the new WADA initiatives and our sanctions will be recognised by other WADA signatory sports. As such INBA Natural athletes are subject to the same doping rules, procedures and sanctions as athletes that participate in an Olympic sport, and in most cases, voliations of the drug policy are heard by the Court of Arbitation for Sport (CAS) in Sydney.

A list of the 2010 banned substances can be viewed by clicking WADA Code of Prohibited Substances. Drugs are listed by chemical name, not commercial name. As example, the anabolic steroid dianabol appears under its chemical name methandrostenolone. As a guideline: never take a substance of a chemical nature or containing an unknown ingredient without considering and checking if it may be a prohibited substance. If in doubt phone the ASADA Hotline: 1 800 02 05 06. You may wish to enquire with ASADA about their publication titled, Drugs in Sport Handbook. The INBA take a hard line with those who use drugs because competitors have a choice to compete with other bodybuilding organisations that do not drug test.

INBA Anti-Doping Rules (Summarised)

Doping is defined as the occurrence of one or more of these anti-doping rule violations. The full INBA Doping Policy can be viewed by clicking the link at the top of the page. These Anti-Doping Rules are in furtherance of INBA's continuing efforts to eradicate doping in the sport of Natural Bodybuilding. Note: Athlete admissions are treated in accordance as evidence of a Doping rule violation.

1. The presence of a Prohibited Substance in an Athlete's bodily Specimen.
It is each Athletes personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his or her body. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence or knowing Use on the Athletes part be demonstrated in order to establish an anti-doping violation.

2. Use or Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method.
Defined as the application, ingestion, injection or consumption by any means whatsoever of any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method. The success or failure of the Use of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is not material.
It is sufficient that the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method was Used or Attempted to be Used for an anti-doping rule violation to be committed.

3. Refusing, or failing without compelling justification, to submit to Sample collection or otherwise evading Sample collection.

4. Violation of the requirements regarding Athlete availability for Between-Competition Testing including failure to provide required whereabouts information.

5. Tampering, or Attempting to tamper, with any part of Doping Control.

6. Possession of Prohibited Substances and Methods.
Possession by an Athlete at any time or place of a substance that is prohibited or a Prohibited Method unless the Athlete establishes that the Possession is pursuant to a therapeutic use exemption or other acceptable justification.

7. Trafficking in any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method.
Administration or Attempted administration of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method to any Athlete, or assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up or any other type of complicity involving an anti-doping rule violation or any Attempted violation.

8. Administration or Attempted administration of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method to any Athlete, or assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up or any other type of complicity involving an Anti-Doping Rule Violation or any Attempted violation.

Sport Supplements

ASADA cannot determine the status of supplement products in sport. Due to their multi-ingredient nature, supplements are considered to present more risk to athletes than registered pharmaceutical products. There is a risk that supplements may contain impurities, such as ingredients that are not listed on the label, which could cause a positive test. A 2001 International Olympic Committee study reported nearly 15 percent of supplement products tested (all non-Australian products) contained substances not labelled that would result in a positive drug test.

It seems weekly, the latest development or unpronounceable ingredient name in supplementation is on the shelf for us to buy, but are they safe to use for drug-tested athletes? Who should be responsible for substantiating their claims and drug-free status? Surely the manufacturer should be prepared to guarantee that their products do what they claim, include only those ingredients that appear on the label, and will not result in a positive drug test for an athlete. Some manufacturers are prepared to do this but others are not. As with all drug-free and drug tested athletes, the onus falls on your vigilance.

Steps to reduce the risk of inadvertently taking a prohibited substance in the form of a Food/Sports Supplement:

1) Contact the company who makes or distributes the product. The manufacturer/distributor should know what they have made and whether it will pass a drug test. If they do not know or they do not guarantee - better in writing - their product will pass a drug test, do not use the product. End of story - they have not done research into what they have in the bottle.

2) If you do not get a satisfying answer and you are still interested in using the product contact ASADA Drugs in Sport Hotline on 1 800 02 05 06. However, you must know ASADA (nor the INBA) were established to research or test supplement companies new products. ASADA can really only offer answers in relation to prescribed drugs because pharmaceutical companies are legally bound to precisely manufacture what is described in the ingredients, whereas supplement companies are not.

3) If you do not get a satisfying answer from ASADA either, don't risk your proud reputation on an unknown ingredient or supplement without a drug-free guarantee.

Therapeutic Use

The Code permits Athletes and their physicians to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) i.e. permission to use, for therapeutic purposes, substances or methods contained in the List of Prohibited Substances or Methods whose use is otherwise prohibited - such as asthma medication. A TUE must be submitted when the athlete joins (and every 12 months thereafter) or needs to commence using the medication. In either situation, the application must be submitted no less than 21 days before participating in an event.

Standard TUE for all medical situations. Click here to download. This completed form should be sent to ASDMAC, PO Box 345, Curtin ACT 2605 - not INBA.

In granting a standard Therapeutic Use Exemption, ASDMAC will consider (amongst other) matters (i) The amount of impairment to health if the prohibited substance or method were to be withheld. (ii) The substance will produce no additional enhancement other than that, which might be anticipated by the return to a state of normal health following the treatment. Note: The use of a prohibited substance to increase "low-normal" levels of any endogenous hormone is not considered acceptable therapeutic intervention. (iii) There is no reasonable therapeutic alternative to the use of the otherwise prohibited substance.

Click here to read or download the new INBA Full 2010 Drug Policy (54 pages)