When planning a World Cup there are myriad areas of work to consider, from team accommodation to the design of the furry mascots. We were adamant from day one that a clean tournament was a priority and anti-doping therefore had to play a key role in our planning. Doping is a risk that we take seriously in Rugby League and we needed to ensure that all players had the opportunity to compete cleanly and that the integrity of the tournament was protected.

The three biggest risk factors we identified were human growth hormone, peptides and inadvertent positives through the use of supplements. This third factor was of particular concern given the fact that we had a number of "young" rugby league playing nations, such as the United States and Italy, making their World Cup debuts.

Eighty-three per cent of the players played domestically in either Australia or the UK, the two strongest domestic competitions in the world, and so would have been exposed to anti-doping programmes previously. The other 17 per cent of players are not professional and came from competitions where anti-doping was not an integral part of their domestic competitions. We therefore identified the need for a strong educational aspect to our anti-doping plans.

Appointing UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) as the anti-doping provider ensured that all aspects of the programme (education, testing, therapeutic use exemptions (TUE), results management) could be delivered by one agency.

Education was a strong part of the anti-doping plans put in place ©AFP/Getty Images



We worked with UKAD to customise the Win Clean education programme, making the content relevant to rugby league players and using appropriate imagery. We also worked with UKAD's National Trainers to develop two workshops that were appropriate for the nations competing; one for the more advanced nations used to competing at this level and a slightly modified workshop for the younger nations. These would be delivered within a few days of the nations arriving in the UK.

In the months leading up to the tournament the nations were provided with factsheets to distribute to players to raise awareness of some of the key areas, e.g. supplements, ahead of the tournament. Around this time we also began to engage with the team doctors to inform them of the TUE protocol and upon arrival they were asked to attend a workshop.

There was also a significant piece of work undertaken with UKAD to put in place an appropriate and proportionate result management system in the event of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV). We adopted the model used by the International Paralympic Committee where in the event of an ADRV, the player would be immediately provisionally suspended and an expedited hearing would be convened by the Rugby League International Federation. We wanted to ensure that any player who tested positive was dealt with quickly to uphold the integrity of the competition.

Given the ongoing Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation, it was felt necessary to work with UKAD to establish a Major Event Intelligence Co-ordination Centre. Based at the RLWC2013 offices in Manchester, this facilitated intelligence sharing between UKAD, RLWC2013 and other National Anti-Doping Organisations.

Close to 200 tests were undertaken during Rugby League World Cup 2013, with results returned before each player's next game ©Getty Images



Given budget constraints it was essential that all tests were deployed effectively and this approach led to a high level of target testing through the collation and assessment of intelligence.

With regards to the testing itself, we had a balance between in and out of competition testing and used blood and urine testing. The urine samples were subjected to additional sample analysis through the use of Isotope ratio mass spectrometry and peptide testing.

Including UKAD's pre-tournament testing there were close to 200 tests undertaken. Rather than have a fixed turnaround time for each sample, the lab at King's College ensured all results were returned before the player played in his next game. This flexibility was important to uphold the integrity of the tournament but also to ensure that quick turnaround fees were not excessive.

The shadow of doping is a real threat to the success of any sporting event and by working so closely with UKAD, we were able to put a targeted, proportionate and fit for purpose programme in place.

Overall the RLWC2013's anti-doping programme was a great success. We successfully educated hundreds of players and support staff and implemented a robust testing programme that was designed to address the risks that tournament faced. All tests have now been reported and there have been no ADRVs. The next Rugby League World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2017 and I'm sure they will build on the anti-doping programme we created.