GENERAL
The scientific activities of Doping Authority Netherlands consist of the following:
- providing access to current scientific knowledge in the field of doping;
- consulting experts;
- further development of scientific research.
MONITORING SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
To ensure it is informed about the latest developments, Doping Authority Netherlands keeps a close eye on new publications of doping-related scientific literature and saves copies of the relevant articles in its archives. A total of 85 relevant articles were added to those archives in 2019. All the articles are available in digital format and the most important are posted on the website doping.nl.
The information from the available literature is actively distributed and serves as a basis for internal advice for the Enforcement & Investigations and Education departments, the Legal Affairs department (in the context of specific doping cases) and the CEO (for, among other things, his contacts with the press). This information is also used to answer specific scientific questions from people outside the organisation such as doctors, lawyers, journalists, students and other interested parties.
CONSULTING EXPERTS
A network with a range of scientists is constantly being maintained in order to keep up to date with the latest developments in all sorts of areas relevant to doping: Haematology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Physiology, Sociology, Health Education, Ethics, Sports Medicine, Gene Therapy and Detection/analysis.
Doping Authority Netherlands also plays an advisory role for a range of initiatives. The basic idea here is always to contribute both knowledge and experience and to further them in our own organisation. In some cases, this advisory role has been formalised. In this context, scientific contacts were maintained with the Steroids Clinic in the Spaarne Gasthuis hospital in Haarlem and the British nutritional supplement testing system Informed Sport of the LGC company.
In addition, Doping Authority Netherlands attended several scientific conferences: the USADA Science Symposium (Tokyo, Japan), the Nordic Conference on Doping and Public Health (Copenhagen, Denmark), the International Network of Doping Research (Aarhus, Denmark), the annual conference of the Association for Human Movement Sciences in the Netherlands (Utrecht) and the Annual Sports Medical Scientific Conference of the Association for Sports Medicine (Ermelo).
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Scientific budget
Doping Authority Netherlands has an annual scientific budget of 70,500 euros. The research budget was spent almost entirely on analysing doping preparations collected during the HAARLEM study. The HAARLEM study was set up by endocrinologists Pim de Ronde and Diederik Smit, and it monitors the health of 100 users of anabolic steroids. The doping preparations were analysed by Wageningen Food Safety Research to determine the presence of active substances and possible contaminants such as heavy metals and minerals. A total of 5,000 euros from the research budget was spent on financing research in the field of dried-blood spots by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Cologne.
Trafficking study
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has asked the consortium Bureau Beke/VU-University Amsterdam to conduct a study of trafficking in doping in 2019-2020. Doping Authority Netherlands is on the supervisory committee.
Elite sport study
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has asked the Mulier Institute to conduct a study of 'The anti-doping policy in Dutch elite sport' in 2019-2020. Doping Authority Netherlands is on the supervisory committee.
Contributions to scientific articles
Doping Authority Netherlands contributed to a range of scientific articles in 2019. For a complete overview, see Annex 4 - Overview of publications and presentations. Doping Authority Netherlands also reviewed two scientific studies.
Supervision
In 2019, Doping Authority Netherlands supervised a student who conducted a literature study. The study focused on natural compounds with a beta-2 adrenergic effect. The first steps have now been taken for the supervision of a second student, who will be looking at cathinones available on the black market.