In recent months, FIFA has launched a series of prevention initiatives as part of its ongoing efforts to keep football free from doping. The aim is to raise awareness among players, coaches and doctors on the dangers of doping and provide appropriate educational tools for doping control officers across the world.
“Constant communication with players, doctors and doping control officers and continually improving our processes are vital in the fight against doping and a key part of FIFA’s prevention work,” says FIFA Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jiří Dvořák.
The latest initiative is the production of two videos clips following the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. The first clip is aimed specifically at female players with the objective of raising awareness about anti-doping procedures, while the second video targets anti-doping officers and provides a detailed description of the procedure to ensure consistent and up-to-date procedures at all competitions.
Another important initiative is aimed at doctors and medical staff. One of the modules of the recently launched online FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine provides clinicians all around the world with comprehensive background information and guidance concerning the application of FIFA’s and WADA’s anti-doping rules. The aim is to encourage all medical staff to embrace the relevant information and fully adhere to the regulations.
The other pillar of FIFA’s prevention work is the education of players. A key tool in this respect is World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s Athlete Learning Program about Health and Anti-Doping (ALPHA), an e-learning tool aimed at changing attitudes among athletes. FIFA calls on all football players to make use of this important tool, which provides them with positive solutions to stay clean.
Another important educational initiative is the ”11 rules to prevent doping in football” posters, which aim to raise awareness among young athletes, coaches, doctors and parents about the dangers and consequences of doping. They contain 11 simple messages selected by experts in anti-doping management in collaboration with WADA. FIFA has appealed to all of its member associations to distribute the posters to their clubs and national teams at all levels, while also reaching out directly to fans and players across the world via its digital and social media platforms.