The Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Agency (RADO) is currently focusing on ensuring their efforts of eliminating doping in sports are successful by targeting very young athletes.
“The rationale of this project is basically to develop the anti-doping capacity among physical education teachers and coaches so that they are better able to know what constitutes doping and to work towards anti-doping efforts in schools,” said Tessa Chadderton-Shaw, RADO’s executive director.
Shaw spoke to CMC at the end of a UNESCO-sponsored two-day workshop Friday that brought Physical Education teachers and coaches together at the Beausejour Cricket Ground here.
She added: “Very often people assume that doping, or the preventative aspect, which is anti-doping, is something for elite athletes only but what we are aiming to do is to take the education to the youngest children within the high school levels.”
The RADO official stressed that the two-day session which comprised theoretical and practical sessions as it relates to anti-doping should build the knowledge and awareness among teachers so they can pass on that information to students.
“At the end of the day we are talking about the use of drugs, and performance enhancing substances for athletes but its all about drug taking behaviour,” Shaw emphasised.
Similar workshops were held last week – first in St Kitts and Shaw then travelled to Nevis before coming here. Workshops will also be held in the British Virgin Islands and Barbados.
“This is an attempt to promote the work of the World Anti-Doping Agency and by extension the Caribbean RADO. Through this effort we are also promoting the services that we provide. The challenge going forward though is ensuring that PE teachers and coaches are going to take full advantage of the material and are going to infuse it into their lesson plans,” said Shaw.
Among the participants of the workshop were former national football captain Kingsley Armstrong, former national netballer Michelle Rogers and the former first-class cricketer John Eugene.
-CMC
