Eric Chua on keeping Singapore sport free from doping

Singapore athletes are subject to a “robust” doping testing regime, with more frequent tests for those considered to be at higher risk. Several factors are used to assess this, including the athletes’ performance and type of sport. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua said this in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 4) in response to MPs’ questions. National body Anti-Doping Singapore, working with SportSG, also relies on intelligence such as whistle-blowing to identify and investigate allegations of drug abuse. Athletes found to have violated the rules face sanctions ranging from suspension of support to lifetime bans. Apart from detection and deterrence, Mr Chua said the other pillar of Singapore’s anti-doping strategy for sport is education and prevention. There are education programmes for athletes to discourage intentional or inadvertent doping, and a database to check the prohibited status of drugs or substances. All national athletes must also complete modules on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s e-learning platform. Mr Chua said Singapore aims to ensure that national athletes compete fairly and safely, and can be held up as role models for the public.