(Ottawa, Ontario – November 20, 2019) – The international network of anti-doping organizations that powers Global DRO has welcomed Drug-Free Sport New Zealand as the latest licensee of the free platform, which allows all athletes to easily search the status of ingredients prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List at any time. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) welcomes New Zealand as the seventh country on the platform.
With this addition to the Global DRO network, New Zealand athletes will have the ability to determine if a government-approved medication or ingredient purchased in New Zealand is prohibited in-competition or at all times. Athletes and support personnel from around the world can also find information about medications purchased in Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
CCES President and CEO Paul Melia said, “We know that Canadian athletes and sport physicians rely heavily on Global DRO for a simple interpretation of the Prohibited List. But elite sport is international, and our teams need the same level of certainty wherever they travel. Now with seven countries’ brand information available, the DRO is becoming ever more global.”
Since its launch in 2009, Global DRO has become an increasingly robust resource for athletes, with the addition of partners and licensees bringing the total number of ingredients to more than 3,400 and the total number of medication brands to more than 68,000. Global DRO includes prescription and non-prescription brand names, as well as generic and over-the-counter medications that are approved for sale by government regulatory bodies in each country in the Global DRO network. In 2018, Global DRO saw more than 1.6 million searches by athletes, athlete support personnel, and other users.
Drug-Free Sport New Zealand has become the third Global DRO licensee, with the Japan Anti-Doping Agency and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency coming on board in 2013 and 2016 respectively. Global DRO is maintained through a global partnership of national anti-doping agencies that includes Antidoping Switzerland, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, U.K. Anti-Doping, and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Please visit GlobalDRO.com.
About the CCES
The CCES is an independent, national, not-for profit organization with a responsibility to administer the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. We are committed to making sport better by working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.