German anti-doping and the "one-hour rule"

IYhey already have to say where their are every hour on a day.. Why say when your ‘available’. Probably is going to stop old and young guys to be pro.. Or that’s what i reaaly would (re)think..

The Brits use the one hour rule. As do a few others. It was considered by WADA last year but not adopted. Funnily, among those objecting to it were … the Germans. With ADAMS and a mobile phone, it’s not overly difficult to comply with. But the Italians are complaining about ADAMS, citing data protection concerns.

11.1.4 An Athlete in a Registered Testing Pool is also required to specify in his/her Whereabouts Filing, for each day in the forthcoming quarter, one specific 60-minute time slot where he/she will be available at a specified location for Testing: see Clause 11.4. This does not limit in any way the Athlete’s obligation to be available for Testing at any time and place. Nor does it limit his/her International Standard for Testing, January 2009 42 of 91 obligation to provide the information specified in Clause 11.3 as to his/her
whereabouts outside of that 60-minute time slot. However, if the Athlete is not available for Testing at such location during the 60-minute time slot specified for that day in his/her Whereabouts Filing, and has not updated his/her Whereabouts Filing prior to that 60-minute time slot to provide an alternative time slot/location for that day, that failure shall amount to a Missed Test and shall therefore constitute a Whereabouts Failure for purposes of Code Article 2.4.

Explanation:

[11.1.4 Comment: The purpose of the 60-minute time slot is to strike a balance between the need to locate the Athlete for Testing and the impracticality and unfairness of making Athletes potentially accountable for a Missed Test every time they depart from their previously-declared routine. ADOs that implemented whereabouts systems in the period up to 2008 reflected that tension in different ways. Some demanded "24/7" whereabouts information, but did not declare a Missed Test if an Athlete was not where he/she had said he/she would be unless (a) he/she could still not report for Testing despite being given notice in the form of a phone call; or (b) the following day he/she was still not where he/she had said he/she would be. Others asked for details of the Athlete’s whereabouts for only one hour per day, but held the Athlete fully accountable during that period, which gave each side certainty but limited the ADO’s ability to test the Athlete outside that hour. After extensive consultation with stakeholders with substantial whereabouts experience, the view was taken that the best way to maximize the chances of finding the Athlete at any time, while providing a reasonable and appropriate mitigation of "24/7" Missed Test liability, was to combine the best elements of each system, i.e. requiring disclosure of whereabouts information on a "24/7" basis, while limiting exposure to a Missed Test to a 60-minute time slot. (For discussion of how this will work in practice, see the comment to Clause 11.4.1).]

I don’t think this is especially burdensome, at least during the season. The reason is, an elite rider in training has a pretty regimented schedule. There are, for example, only so many daylight hours. Pretty much, get up, eat, go ride, nap, maybe massage, maybe do a thing or two, eat some more, go to bed. Somewhere in there will be an hour to be available. It’s an easier thing than being out training and getting the call for a test, and having to dash to make the time restriction and risk a missed test. This way, a rider only gets charged with a missed tested for being unavailable during the specified hour, though the testers can show up outside that hour period.

I think this is a good change.

[11.4.2 Comment: It is the responsibility of the ADO to ensure that it checks for any updates filed by the Athlete prior to attempting to collect a Sample from the Athlete based on his/her Whereabouts Filing. For the avoidance of doubt, however, an Athlete who updates his/her 60-minute time slot for a particular day prior to the original 60-minute slot must still submit to Testing during the original 60-minute time slot, if he/she is located for Testing during that original 60-minute time slot.

An update of the 60-minute time slot may be made at any time up until the beginning of the time slot. In appropriate circumstances, however, last-minute updates by an Athlete may be pursued as a possible anti-doping rule violation of evading Sample collection under Code Article 2.3 and/or Tampering (or Attempting to Tamper) with Doping Control under Code Article 2.5.

If an update is filed by the Athlete, but the updated information filed is incomplete, or inaccurate, or insufficient to enable the ADO to locate the Athlete, then it may be pursued as a Filing Failure in accordance with Clause 11.3.5(b).]

[11.4.3(b) Comment: If the Athlete is not available for Testing at the beginning of the 60-minute time slot, but becomes available for Testing later on in the 60-minute time slot, the DCO should collect the Sample and should not process the attempt as an unsuccessful attempt to test, but should include full details of the delay in availability of the Athlete in the DCO’s Sample collection report. Any pattern of behaviour of this type should be investigated by the Responsible ADO as a possible anti-doping rule violation of evading Sample collection under Code Article 2.3 or Code Article 2.5. It may also prompt Target Testing of the Athlete.

If located for Testing, the Athlete must remain with the DCO until the Sample collection has been completed, even if this takes longer than the 60-minute time slot.
 
If an Athlete is not available for Testing during his/her specified 60-minute time slot at the location specified for that time slot for that day, he/she will be liable for a Missed Test even if he/she is located later that day and a Sample is successfully collected from him/her.]

Not a problem. I was in private practice, where you have to log every tenth of an hour. So don’t expect any sympathy from me.

problem solved ;-)

It wouldn’t seem too bothersome provided there is an easy way to update. With all the travelling the athletes do, I’d expect they’d frequently encounter delays or unavoidable changes in their schedules.