Following a successful launch on March 27, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) is planning to resume enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program on May 22. Now more than ever, the Thoroughbred industry must embrace a national, uniform ADMC program for the benefit of its athletes and the sustainability of the sport.
One of the key benefits that the ADMC Program brings to Thoroughbred racing on a national scale is a transparent, efficient, fair, and consistent adjudication system.
1. Transparency: The ADMC Program requires public disclosure of alleged Anti-Doping Rule Violations once the Covered Person has been notified of the violation and Provisionally Suspended. The alleged violation will be reported by HIWU on its website, and the public information disclosed will include the date of the collection, the name of the Covered Person, the identity of the Covered Horse, the alleged ADMC Program Rule Violation, and the Prohibited Substance or Method detected/involved. Alleged Controlled Medication Rule Violations will be publicly disclosed once the B (“split”) Sample is confirmed by another lab or analysis of the Sample is waived by the Covered Person. In short, it will take weeks, not months, for an alleged violation to come to light.
2. Efficiency: The ADMC Program articulates specific timelines for the results management and adjudication processes, and parties can request an expedited hearing to resolve the eligibility of a Covered Person or Covered Horse prior to an upcoming race. Hearings of Anti-Doping Rule Violations will be held within 60 days of being requested, absent exceptional circumstances. Controlled Medication Rule Violations will generally be adjudicated in a few months. In summary, cases will not drag on for years.
3. Consistency and Fairness: In addition to samples being tested to the same levels and standards regardless of which laboratory performs the analysis, all alleged violations will be subject to the same penalties regardless of jurisdiction. Cases will be adjudicated by members of an independent Arbitral Body (Anti-Doping Rule Violations) or the Internal Adjudication Panel (Controlled Medication Rule Violations). For all cases, adjudicators will be selected so as to be free from conflict of interest, thus addressing any integrity concerns in the prosecution of cases.
While HIWU cannot speak to current procedures in each state, it looks forward to the opportunity to administer a national ADMC program that will restore public confidence in the safety of the sport and the integrity of its regulatory processes.
The post HIWU Outlines What Will Change Regarding Timelines, Public Disclosure Of Medication Positives May 22 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
