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CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures. Luke Balch, University of Waterloo football player, appears on Canada AM from CTV studios in Kitchener, Ont., Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. Marg McGregor, CEO of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, appears on Canada AM from CTV studios in Ottawa, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures. CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures.

CIS, CFL announces new anti-doping tests for football

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CTV News Video

Canada AM: Reaction to re-vamped policies
The CEO of Canadian Interuniversity Sport and Waterloo football player who won't get to play his final year share their takes on a revamped anti-doping policy that will take effect immediately.
CTV National News: Scott Laurie on the scandal
Another steroid scandal is rocking Canadian university sports. Just weeks before the football season is set to kick off, more football players were caught using performance enhancing drugs -- a revelation that comes on the same day a new crackdown was announced.
CTV News Channel: Marg McGregor, CUS
The CEO of the Canadian University Sport says she was quite concerned when drug use among athletes was not isolated to one university and it became more common among football players across the country.
CTV News: Melissa Durrell on the new measures
The Canadian Center for Ethics in Sports is working with the Canadian Football League to test athletes for drug use. The CFL will pay the drug testing fees for the top 80 prospects playing university football this year.

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CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures. Luke Balch, University of Waterloo football player, appears on Canada AM from CTV studios in Kitchener, Ont., Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. Marg McGregor, CEO of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, appears on Canada AM from CTV studios in Ottawa, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures. CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures.

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CES, CIS and CFL have announced robust anti-doping measures.

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Date: Wed. Aug. 11 2010 7:19 PM ET

Two months after the University of Waterloo suspended its entire football program due to a steroid scandal, Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced new drug-testing measures in conjunction with the CFL and the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sports.

To underscore the new measures CIS announced it was suspending two more university football players -- Christopher Deneau at Windsor and Acadia's Taylor Shadgett -- for two years as a result of June anti-doping tests.

CIS CEO Marg MacGregor announced Tuesday that the CFL was helping to cover the $800 costs of drug testing, increasing the amount of tests to more than 15 per cent of each roster.

MacGregor told CTV's Canada AM that the new systems effectively triples the amount of testing.

"We are hoping that that has a tremendous deterrent effect," she said Wednesday.

She added that the CFL will be adding some educational measures for university football players on the detrimental effects of using illegal drugs.

MacGregor also said the new testing will not be entirely random, as some players will be targeted for testing if they are seen to be performing beyond their expected capabilities, or if they demonstrate dramatic weight gain.

"We think that will have significant impact starting next season," she said.

In addition, the CFL, which adopted drug rules of its own this year, gave the CIS a list of its top 80 prospects, giving the CIS another target group. The CFL has long been criticized that its lack of a drug policy was sending a weak anti-drug message to prospects.

Only 89 CIS football players were tested all of last season.

In June, the University of Waterloo announced it was suspending its entire football program after nine players were implicated for doping.

The decision meant the careers of players going into their final year, such as quarterback Luke Balch, were over.

Speaking to Canada AM Wednesday, Balch said the new rules would serve as a deterrent, particularly because the CFL stepped in to say it would not accept players using performance enhancing drugs.

"I'm really proud of the CIS and CFL for collaborating on this issue," he said. "Players realize their careers could be over if they take the risk."

Balch said he's still upset that he lost his final year of playing football, but he is glad positive changes have stemmed from the situation.

Comments are now closed for this story

M in Saskatoon
said

It's about time!Steroids are very attractive as they do provide real short-time benefit but can also destroy vital organs of the users. When player focus on earning a position on a professional sports team they may not think about the long-term health consequences.If the CFL actually stands by their claim of disallowing players that have tested positive these steps should deter CIS players from using roids. The next step would be to target high school players that use steroids prior to entering the CIS. At that level testing a sample of top players with the same consequences for positive tests should deter kids from destroying their bodies (i.e. no more involvement in organized football, including coaching etc. as they've demonstrated a lack of ethics).As the courts have demonstrated in the OHS sphere in this country we have to take adequate steps to protect people from their own bad judgement...Adolescent males have tones of testosterone pumping through their bodies and providing them with real guidance at this point in their lives would negate the need for steroid use. High schools need to use cutting edge sports science and training techniques. If these techniques are implemented with strict diet and sleeping regiments high school player can get natural results that outpace those received from steroid use (plus teaching them how to set and achieve goals).


Dean in Abby
said

Only dopes do dope


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