Understanding Anti-Doping: 4 Important Things Athletes Should Know

Professional pole and aerial competitions such as those operating under POSA and IPSF have strict anti-doping rules, requiring athletes to sign anti-doping contracts and renew their anti-doping licenses each year. Athletes are required to maintain an active anti doping contract for every year of their competitive career, even if they take a year off from actively competing.

So what exactly is anti-doping, and why is it needed in sport?
Anti doping is about leveling the playing field by promoting and enforcing clean and fair play in competition. The goal is for an athlete’s competitive advantage to come from raw talent, effort, mindset, dedication and hard work rather than from any chemical advantage. Here are four important things every athlete, coach and parent should understand about anti doping before they step onto the competition floor.

Your Anti-Doping Contract Is a Year Round Commitment
Signing an anti doping contract isn’t a one time formality. It’s an ongoing responsibility that follows you throughout your competitive career, including years when you aren’t actively competing. Letting your contract lapse, even unintentionally, can affect your eligibility to compete when you return. Athletes should treat renewal dates the same way they treat membership dues or insurance renewals: mark the date, set a reminder, and don’t wait until registration deadlines are looming.

What Anti-Doping Drug Testing Looks Like
Drug tests may be random or targeted, and can occur in competition or out of competition. As an athlete with an active anti doping contract, you essentially consent to being tested at any time, in any place, on demand, without prior notification. Currently in the world of Pole and Aerial, testing typically occurs during competition, but as our sport continues to grow and align with other long established sports, the possibility of being tested outside of competition, and having to provide your whereabouts, is likely. Sports like track and field and swimming have used whereabouts systems for years, requiring athletes to report their location for a set window each day so testers can find them unannounced.

Drug tests may involve urine or blood sample collection. The type of test is at the discretion of the anti doping agents. If you’re selected for testing, cooperating fully and promptly is part of your obligation as a licensed athlete. Refusing or evading a test is typically treated the same as a positive result.

Consequences and Penalties
Violating anti doping policy carries real consequences. Depending on the severity and whether it’s a first or repeat offense, penalties can include disqualification from the competition, a year-long ban, loss of medals or ranking points, suspension from future events, and in serious or repeated cases, a lengthy or lifetime ban from the sport. These aren’t just formalities, they’re taken seriously precisely because the goal is to protect clean athletes and preserve trust in the results.

Athlete Responsibility
Athletes are responsible for knowing what they are putting into their bodies at all times, and for ensuring that nothing they take contains a banned substance. This means talking with your doctors about prescribed medications and reviewing the ingredients of any over the counter medications and supplements, including drinks, powders and pills. Athletes are solely responsible for any prohibited substance found in their body, regardless of how it got there or whether there was intent to cheat.

A common myth is that a supplement is automatically safe because it’s natural or sold over the counter. That isn’t true. Supplements aren’t tightly regulated, and cross contamination during manufacturing is a real risk. Before taking anything new, athletes should check it against a verified prohibited substances database, such as Global DRO, or consult directly with their sport’s anti doping organization. It only takes a few minutes and can prevent a career altering mistake.

Even if athletes have active prescriptions, if the medication includes a banned ingredient, it could still lead to an issue. So how do you get around that if you have a legitimate medical condition?

Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)
A TUE is official permission granted to use a prohibited substance for legitimate medical reasons. It allows clean athletes with real medical conditions, such as asthma or severe allergies, to compete legally. Applying for a TUE typically requires documentation from a physician and approval before the substance is used in competition, so athletes with ongoing medical needs should start the process well in advance rather than waiting until close to an event.

Resources Every Athlete Should Know
WADA and WHEA are the anti-doping organizations to know about for Pole and Aerial. They provide an updated list of prohibited substances as well as education for athletes, coaches and parents. Bookmarking these resources and checking them regularly is one of the simplest ways to stay compliant and protect your career.

TLDR: Key Takeaways

• Anti doping contracts must stay active every year of your career, even during breaks from competition.
• Testing can happen in or out of competition, with little or no advance notice.
• Athletes are fully responsible for anything found in their system, regardless of intent.
• A TUE offers a legal path for athletes with genuine medical needs.
• WADA and WHEA are your go to resources for checking substances and staying informed.

Anti doping exists to protect the integrity of the sport and the athletes who compete honestly within it. Taking a few minutes to understand your contract, your responsibilities, and the resources available to you is a small investment that protects the career you’ve worked so hard to build.