Anti-doping body ASADA fines Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs have been fined by the AFL for breaching the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s player movement rules during its recent training camp in the US.

The Bulldogs have been fined $10,000 – with $5,000 suspended – for failing to provide ASADA with appropriate paperwork notifying the anti-doping body that 12 of its players would be training in Colorado for two weeks in November.

The club had informed the AFL of the camp, but due to an administrative oversight did not separately notify ASADA.

Under anti-doping rules all clubs must ensure ASADA knows where all listed players are at any time, so that they can be located for drug tests.

The 12 Bulldogs – mostly key position players – paid part of their own way to the US, for the mid-November camp.

“The club has a strong history of compliance with all the paperwork requirements of the anti-doping code to ensure that ASADA is fully informed at all times and can perform its duties,” said AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon.

“In this instance, while the AFL had been notified of the club’s activities, ASADA was not separately notified. While this was an administrative error, it is important that the rules are fully complied with.”