The new national anti-doping organisation (NADO), provisionally titled UK Anti-Doping, will take on existing testing and education responsibilities from UK Sport, while also being granted significant new powers to help tackle the problem of drugs in the build-up to London 2012. 

 

Recommendations for the new NADO were first made by UK Sport’s Board in December 2007 in recognition of the need for centralised case management of doping cases and greater links with law enforcement agencies, functions that necessitated the need for separation from the Government agency that also controls funding to Britain's Olympic sports. 

 

The setting up of an independent agency followed a call from MPs in February 2007 who said there could be a perception of a conflict of interest, even though there was no evidence to suggest unethical behaviour by UK Sport.

 

Members of the influential Commons Science and Technology Committee recommended following the model used in Australia and the United States and setting up a body independent of UK Sport and the national governing bodies of individual sports.

 

Sutcliffe said: “The global fight against doping in sport has shifted and the move to a new, stand-alone NADO reflects that change.

 

"The NADO will build on the excellent work of UK Sport which has established us as a world leader in the field.

 

“We have learnt from the likes of Operation Raw Deal, the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) case in the USA and Operation Puerto in Spain that to be truly effective we need the ability to target the manufacturers, traffickers and suppliers of prohibited substances.

 

"We have already started to build relations with law enforcement agencies through a Cross-Department Working Group, ensuring the new NADO will be equipped with the powers and intelligence to stop cheats before they reach the start line.”

 

UK Sport has developed a detailed business plan outlining the operations of the new NADO, the budgets required to deliver existing and new functions, and the process for transition from UK Sport.

 

It has worked closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to secure the funding required as, when fully operational, the new NADO will see £7.2 million invested in 2010-2011 in anti-doping, a 60 per cent increase on the current £4.5 million budget.

 

John Steele, the chief executive of UK Sport, said: “The new NADO marks an exciting new chapter in anti-doping in the UK , and we are sending out a clear statement of intent ahead of 2012 that doping in this country will not be tolerated.

 

“A phenomenal amount of work has been done over the past year to get us to this point."

 

The creation of a new stand-alone agency represents a considerable change in position by UK Sport and Government, who had previously always resisted such calls.

 

A review, ordered by UK Sport, by consultants by PMP and published in March 2004 claimed there was no need for an independent agency, a finding backed strongly by then-Sports Minister Richard Caborn and UK Sport chair Sue Campbell.

 

But the decision was criticised by, among others, Colin Moynihan, now the chairman of the British Olympic Association, and David Sparkes, the chief executive of British Swimming.

 

Moynihan had claimed that the failure of UK Sport to set up such an agency left Britain outside the "premier league of anti-doping".

 

Steele claimed that with London 2012 approaching this is now the right time to set up an independent body.

 

He said: "Everyone is in agreement that this is the right thing to do and it was essential we took the time to ensure we do it properly.

 

"I am delighted that the funding for the new NADO has been confirmed and, in many ways, the real hard work starts now to get it operational by the end of the year.

 

“The priority is to make the transition to the new NADO as smooth as possible and we are committed to ensuring our current testing and education programmes will continue to be delivered to the usual high standards throughout this period.

 

"With the talented and dedicated team we have here I have no doubts this will be the case.”