www.supracer.com/battle-of-the-paddle-anti-doping-drug-testing/It's Offical and it's about time :)
It was the single most Instagram’d shot of the 2012 event: The announcement twelve months ago that BOP 2013 would introduce anti-doping tests. We haven’t heard much about it since then but today it all became official, with organisers providing details of how the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will be overseeing the testing for performance enhancing drugs at this year’s race.The decision, a first for the Battle, has received a very positive response (no pun intended) from the paddling community, as having USADA on the beach will greatly increase the professionalism of the world’s biggest SUP race as well as the sport of Stand Up Paddling in general.In a parallel announcement, the Battle of the Paddle will also be sanctioned by the International Surfing Association (ISA) this year, as being aligned with an IOC- and USADA-recognised world governing body is a basic requirement for the Anti-Doping Agency’s involvement at any sporting event.The Battle of the Paddle will not be managing the testing at all, it is to be independently run by USADA. TheAnti-Doping Agency is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation aligned to the Olympic movement and is responsible in the USA for implementing the World Anti-Doping Code, largely considered the strongest and toughest regime for testing of performance enhancing drugs in sport.The testing process on the day will be somewhat random; basically anyone entering the Elite Race could be forced to provide a urine and/or blood sample straight after the event (this only impacts the Elite Race – none of the other races will be targeted). Not every single athlete in the Elite Race will be tested and while USADA won’t reveal exactly who they will target in advance, it’s safe to assume that both the men’s and women’swinners will be on their list.The BOP organisers (Rainbow Sandals) chose to work with USADA as they wanted to strengthen the sport of SUP and help make it a more legitimate and professional endeavour. The Battle of the Paddle is a trend-setter in the world of SUP racing, something the organisers are keenly aware of and want to use to help develop the sport in general. Having a stringent anti-doping platform in place is definitely one way to do that, as it sends a message to athletes, coaches and administrators around the world that Stand Up Paddling is serious. Organisers have also stated this is one major step in the pathway to eventual Olympic acceptance of SUP.While this is a huge development for our sport, the Battle of the Paddle isn’t actually the first SUP race to introduce drug testing. That honour goes to the ISA World Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Peru last year, which was the first ever Stand Up Paddle race to test for performance-enhancing drugs. The ISA is also the only organisation in the world of SUP to be recognised by the International Olympic Committee and, as part of their goal of having stand up and surfing accepted into the Olympics, have their own stringent anti-doping guidelines that are implemented at every ISA event. That all makes their sanctioning of the Battle of the Paddle even more relevant.BOP organisers wanted to implement a super credible anti-doping program to not only bolster their event but to strengthen the sport of stand up paddling in general. By having USADA involved in the event that’s exactly what they’re going to achieve, so this is an awesome move that should be applauded by the SUP community.Paddlers are
very strongly encouraged to check out USADA’s documentation and learn more about what to expect at Dana Point later this month, as well as what substances are on the prohibited list.16 days and counting. Things just got serious.
Other than my two favourites the Jensen Boys , id really like to see Karla Gilbert against Annabel , dont know if they have gone head to head before , but thats a race id like to see
