The programme Athletes For Transparency (AFT) was originally a research program supported by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) related to a pilot study of the technical feasibility of registering biological parameters within an individual data bank for the indirect detection of doping. This research program has helped to assist the technical developpement of the biological passport ( http://www.wada-ama.org/en/dynamic.ch2?pageCategory.id=344 )
The purpose of this project was to test four main types of technical procedures governing the operation of the program AFT:
* Accession procedure (identification / acceptance of the methods of realization / conformity)
* Procedure for acquisition of the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)
* Procedure to perform biological analysis (information / production / data integration / diffusion) ·
* Monitored procedure of location
The objective was to provide a technical modular framework for monitoring parameter relative to research and guidelines of WADA.
Today, the program AFT aims to provide a forum for the voluntary expression of athletes who wish to demonstrate an active commitment in the fight against doping.
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The program AFT is intended for high-level athletes or professional athletes of all nationalities, all disciplines and regardless of their place of residence.
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To ensure that the financial parameter could not represent a limiting factor in joining the Program AFT, a solution linked to subscription of athletes into the Program AFT with sponsors, was put in place. As an athlete can show his involvement and join the program AFT without funding.
For that, during the subscription process, the athletes have just to click on "AFT sponsor". In doing so, his membership will become effective (analysis can be done) once funding by the association AFT will be found through a sponsor of the Program AFT. Nevertheless, the athlete may at any time amend his application by supporting the financing of the programme AFT with a private source (sponsor) or by a self-financing his subscription. Based on this mode of operation, membership via a private source (sponsor) or by self-financing remains the fastest way for starting effctively the Program AFT.
The designated funds for sponsors has been fixed by the board of Directors of the Association AFT to 2000 euros / athlete / year. For information the cost of a simple anti-doping control, with additional reserach for erythropoietin (EPO) and Growth Hormone (GH) can be estimated at 700 euros. Note, for the athlete who chooses the self-financing option, the fund requested including only the price of analysis is 1000 euros /athlete /year
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The programme Athletes For Transparency (AFT) was created by athletes for athletes. At the base of the project found Christophe BASTIE, professional triathlete operating mainly on the Ironman series, Cédric FLEURETON, professional triathlete member of the Olympic team 2008 and vice-european champion in 2005 and 2006 and Pierre SALLET holds a PhD in sports science and has already led to a 2004-2008 research programs funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). These three friends are behind the creation of the Association Athletes For Transparency early 2005 that serves as legal support for the program AFT. Since the beginning of the program AFT has undergone many changes both in its scientific and technical developments as its administrative management while maintaining its perfect independence, especially the original spirit intended by its founders.
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Subscribing to the Program AFT for an athlete involves:
1. To fill out the application form which includes all postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses (reminder of Article 5 of the Charter: "All these details are available on the platform AFT only the Athlete and administrators of the website ").
(Time estimated at 15min)
2. To declare via the platform AFT (website) each new Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
(Time estimated at 5min/TUE)
3. Realize all requested analysis within imposed periods.
(Time estimated 1h/analysis including round trip to the laboratory; blood and / or urine sampling )
(Reminder of Article 6 of the charter: "The maximum number of procedures which may be submitted an athlete can not exceed 10 tests over a period of 12 consecutive months".)
4. To declare via the platform AFT (website) the location by country (next month) and to indicate newTUE
(Time estimated at 10min/location and 5min/TUE)
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As specified in Article 8 of the charter Athlete, "the athlete is free to terminate at any time his commitment to the program AFT by the corresponding procedure. In case of a voluntary stop of the program AFT by the Athlete, no refund will be made by the association AFT".
Any voluntary stop of the program AFT is definitive in the way to prevent an athlete to get out of the program over a specific period and resubsrcibe thereafter.
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The athlete is notified via his mobile telephone (SMS) and through its email address of a analysis request associated with a 6-digit number.
The athlete goes preferentially in less than 48 hours with his passport and the 6-digit number (presentation of sms) in the laboratory of his choice or in a laboratory specified by the Association AFT.
The laboratory must connect to the Program AFT website ( www.athletesfortransparency.com and click on the space laboratory) or to www.testaft.com and follow the procedure. After verifying the identity of the athlete and entering the 6-digit number, the laboratory will be able to know the nature of the analysis to achieve.
Once the sample taken the athlete can leave the laboratory. The athlete has obviously nothing to pay. The laboratory following the procedure is in charge of carrying out the analysis or transmits the sample and sends the bill to the Association AFT.
The association AFT is responsible for the capture of analytical results and putting them on-line through the platform AFT (website). The athlete can then access to all its results from its personal space.
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You may need to realize an analysis following a prescription from your doctor (family doctor or federation doctor) and therefore outside the scope of the Program AFT. In this case, we invite you to send us as soon as possible the results of this analysis using preferentialy a file attached by email (scanned image) or by postal delivery and this so as to avoid duplication of procedures and conducting close with an analysis requested by the association AFT.
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The dates and places of analysis requested obviously take into account the availability and location of the athlete. In case of non-completion of an analysis requested by the association AFT within 5 days of notification by email, the text "unrealized" appears on the individual sheet of the athlete concerned in accordance with the Article 10 of the Charter athlete.
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Obviously not. Biological data from various analysis are often associated with norms and then framed between a minimum and maximum. It is possible for some specific populations, with for example an identified disease or living at altitude, that some of these data can be outside norms. Similarly, it is possible among high-level athletes that few individuals have values abnormally high or low for one or several factors without beeing a proof of doping.
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Coding the data comes only from an initiative of the association Athletes For Transparency. Indeed, paradoxically, by their subscription to Program AFT, athletes allow full diffusion of all biomedical data collected (Article 3 of the charter athlete). However, we have to find in this Program a balance between transparency of the results and interpretation of scientific data. Thus the "normal / abnormal" displaying on the norms chosen allows positioning data while partial displaying guarantee, by comparison with post-data sources, transparency of results and prohibit wild statistics treatment.
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The data collected are the exclusive property of the association Athletes For Transparency. However, these data can be freely provided on request to the structure concerned. This can include national federations, international federations, national anti-doping organizations (NADOs) or any other structure directly or indirectly in charge of anti-doping fight.
Note that there are no legal validity to use his data to sanction an athlete.
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AFT has no legal way to verify if an athlete joining the programAFT give all informations on all AUT which he may benefit. However an athlete subscribing in the program AFT, using a TUE and having omitted to declare it from the corresponding procedure, besides the fact that they did not respect the charter, also exposed to the risk always possible to see external sources well-informed report that omission.
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