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The course
The International Olympic Committee has recently launched the IOC Certificate in Drugs inSport. This review outlines the current need and learning objectives of the course, which has been developed for healthcare professionals and other athlete support personnel who require specialist knowledge and understanding on the use of drugs in sport.1 The postgraduate-level 6-month online course aims to protect the health of the athlete by ensuring medicines and supplements are used in a safe and effective way. It primarily focuses on the medical aspects of drug use in sport with emphasis on the role of healthcare professionals in the prevention of doping.
The need for specialist training for healthcare professionals
Healthcare professionals are often the first people consulted by athletes on issues relating to drug use, from both clinical and antidoping perspectives. Athletes may require advice on the drug treatment for acute or chronic medical conditions, the pharmacological management of sport injuries, the use of dietary or ergogenic supplements, or the status of treatment according to the WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.2 The World Anti-Doping Code recognises that healthcare professionals should play a significant …
Footnotes
Contributors DM and MS are the sole authors of this article. The authors have equally contributed to the review.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.