Athlete Privacy Statement

If you are an athlete, information about how we handle your personal information is detailed in our Athlete Privacy Statement.

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    Athlete Privacy Statement

    We collect your personal information for the purpose of performing our anti-doping functions as authorised under the Sport Integrity Australia Act 2020 (Cth) (Sport Integrity Australia Act) and the Sport Integrity Australia Regulations 2020 (Cth) (Sport Integrity Australia Regulations). 

    When collecting, storing, using or disclosing your personal information, we are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) (which incorporates the Australian Privacy Principles), the Sport Integrity Australia Act and the Sport Integrity Australia Regulations (which contains the National Anti-Doping (NAD) scheme).

    We also have regard to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) and the International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information (ISPPPI) as published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

    For further details about how we handle your personal information, please see our Privacy Policy available at: Privacy | Sport Integrity Australia.

    Categories of personal information

    Any information we collect about your participation in the Doping Control process, and our administration of the NAD scheme, is personal information. This includes information we receive when you complete our forms (e.g. sample collection or athlete whereabouts forms) as well as information we may receive about you from other people and organisations.  

    The categories of personal information we collect includes, but is not limited to: 

    • Identity data (name, nationality, date of birth, gender) 
    • Contact details (address, phone number, email) 
    • Participation information (e.g. sport and discipline you compete in, organisations and/or sports federations to which you belong, current level of competition, events, relationships with coaches and medical professionals) 
    • Athlete whereabouts data (training, competitions, travel, time at home, vacation, any other regular or exceptional activities) 
    • Data relating to test distribution planning (for the testing pools in which you participate) 
    • Medical or biological information including:
      • medical conditions and medications or supplements used e.g. for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)
      • information derived from laboratory analysis of samples and specimens.
    • Information collected as part of results management (e.g. drug test history), hearings and appeals.

    Processing of personal information

    We use the Athlete Whereabouts Online System (AWOS) and ADAMS databases to store your personal information and share that information in accordance with the requirements of the NAD scheme and Code.

    Strong technological, organisational and other security measures have been applied to ADAMS and AWOS to maintain the security of the personal information they contain.

    ADAMS

    ADAMS enables Anti-Doping Organisations (ADO) (e.g. Sport Integrity Australia, the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC), national anti-doping agencies, international or national sporting federations, sports administration bodies and major games organisers) and WADA to conduct harmonised, coordinated and effective anti-doping programs and to fulfil their respective responsibilities arising under the Code.

    ADAMS may be used for scheduling in-competition and out-of-competition doping controls and managing related information, including TUE information, information related to athlete whereabouts, information about the results of anti-doping tests, and sanctions-related information relevant to individual athletes.

    We use ADAMS to process and manage your Doping Control related data (including to disclose certain data to authorised recipients).

    Information relating to any TUE you may apply for may also be stored in ADAMS by the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC).

    Disclosure of personal information

    Your personal information may be made available to authorised ADOs (e.g. designated national ADOs), your international or national sporting federations, sporting administration bodies or major games organisers and processed, in accordance with the NAD scheme and Code.

    Your personal information may also be made available, in part, to WADA, which will need to process certain information in order to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities under the Code.

    WADA-accredited laboratories will need to receive your specimens and possibly other data relating to you; however, such laboratories will only be provided with de- identified, key-coded data and specimens that will not enable the laboratories to identify you.

    ADOs, WADA and accredited laboratories will process your personal information only for the purpose of ensuring harmonised, coordinated and effective anti-doping programs in sport.

    Prior to us disclosing your personal information to external bodies, we must ensure that the external body has completed a written undertaking that your personal information will be treated in confidence. We must also take reasonable steps to ensure that the information will not be disclosed in a way that would be unfairly prejudicial to your interests. 

    Personal information may be publicly disclosed by Sport Integrity Australia in circumstances permitted under the NAD scheme and Code (e.g. for certain test results and tribunal decisions).

    Other purposes

    We may use and disclose your personal information for a purpose other than the purpose for which we collected it if permitted under the Sport Integrity Australia Act, the NAD scheme, the Code or as required or authorised by law. Depending on the purpose for which your personal information was collected, other purposes may include, but are not limited to, sample collection, TUE eligibility, intelligence, investigations, test distribution planning, athlete whereabouts, hearings and appeals.

    In addition to the entities identified above, your personal information may be disclosed in accordance with the NAD scheme to relevant government sports agencies (such as the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Olympic Committee and State and Territory sporting academies) and other relevant government agencies (such as the Australian Federal Police, Australian Customs Service, Therapeutic Goods Administration or State and Territory law enforcement bodies).

    Overseas disclosure

    We may be required to disclose your personal information to parties or persons who are located overseas. For example, it may be necessary for us to disclose personal information to Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs), sporting bodies, government agencies or enforcement bodies located overseas in the exercise of our functions under the Sport Integrity Australia Act.

    International organisations which are likely to receive this type of information include WADA (located in Canada), International Sporting Federations, major games organisers, foreign national anti-doping organisations, and any other organisation that is a signatory to the Code and is responsible for undertaking any part of the doping control process.

    Where information is disclosed to WADA, for example by including information in the ADAMS system, this information is subject to protections under Canadian law, specifically the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

    If we store your personal information in databases such as AWOS and ADAMS, ADOs, national anti-doping agencies, international or national sporting federations, sports bodies and major games organisers may be able to access your data in countries where you compete, train or travel.

    Otherwise, we will only send your personal information overseas with your consent, or if:

    • required or permitted under the Code, International Standards or any other anti-doping rules or requirements
    • the disclosure is made to an overseas enforcement body that performs similar functions or exercises similar powers to Sport Integrity Australia.

    Retention

    Your personal information is stored by us in accordance with the Archives Act 1983 (Cth) (Archives Act). Generally, we will store your personal information for no more than ten years. In limited circumstances, the Archives Act requires us to store your information for longer periods (such as when your information is used in litigation that creates a precedent).

    Withdrawal of consent

    You may at any time revoke consent for the processing of your personal information, however, and as noted above, it still may be necessary for us, ADOs and WADA to continue to process (including retain) your personal information to fulfil obligations and responsibilities arising under the NAD Scheme, the Code and applicable laws. Examples of such obligations include:

    • to commence or pursue investigations involving suspected anti-doping rule violations relating to an athlete
    • to conduct or participate in proceedings involving suspected anti-doping rule violations relating to an athlete, or;
    • to establish, exercise or defend against legal claims relating to us or other bodies, an athlete or both.

    (Note: any withdrawal of consent or request for deletion of personal information, which is motivated principally by a desire to render testing, investigation and results management (including associated disciplinary hearings, appeals and adjudications) conducted by us, other anti-doping or sports organisations or WADA more difficult or impossible, may be considered Tampering under the NAD Scheme or the Code and be sanctioned as such).

    An athlete must understand that:

    • your participation in organised sporting events is contingent upon your adherence at all times to the rules contained in the NAD scheme, the Code and the policies of your relevant sports organisations, including, among other things, your voluntary participation in anti-doping procedures set forth in the Code and thus the processing of personal information as described in this form.
    • the withdrawal of your consent to the processing of your personal information will be construed as a refusal to participate in those anti-doping procedures mandated by the NAD scheme, the Code and your relevant sports organisations policies. This could exclude you from further participation in organised sporting events and may result in disciplinary or other sanctions being imposed upon you, such as disqualification from competitions in which you are scheduled to participate or the invalidation of results arising from your prior competitions.

    Section 10

     

    Research

    It is possible that your personal information, such as your blood or urine sample, related analytical data and Doping Control information may be used for the purposes of anti-doping research. Anti-doping research will generally be conducted by WADA accredited laboratories. The Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory is the Australian WADA accredited laboratory.

    The research performed by us or a WADA accredited laboratory on samples is generally directed at developing or enhancing the effectiveness of new anti-doping tests for prohibited substances. This benefits the wider anti-doping community through greater detection capabilities.

    The Code requires that if your sample, related analytical data and Doping Control information is to be used for anti-doping research, all means of identification (for example sample numbers from testing bottles) must be removed. This ensures that the information cannot be traced back you.

    In order for your sample, related analytical data and Doping Control information to be used for anti-doping research purposes, you must consent in writing. Reference to this is included in the Doping Control Test Form.

    You may withdraw your consent by contacting our Privacy team on 02 6222 4200 or email: privacy@sportintegrity.gov.au

    There are no consequences for withdrawing your consent. However, if withdrawal of consent occurs after your sample, related analytical data and Doping Control information has been de-identified and used for research it will not be possible to eliminate the data obtained from the sample for research purposes.

    Athlete’s Rights

    You have a right to request access to, or correction of, your personal information, and remedies and rights of redress for any unlawful processing of your personal information.

    To the extent that you have any concerns about the processing of your personal information, please contact our Privacy team on 02 6222 4200 or email: privacy@sportintegrity.gov.au, WADA (www.wada-ama.org), and/or your federation or national anti-doping agency, as appropriate.

    For further details about how, you can request access to or correction of the information we hold about you, or to make a complaint about our personal information handling practices, please see our Privacy Policy.

    If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner who is independent of Sport Integrity Australia. The Information Commissioner has the power to investigate complaints about possible breaches of the Privacy Act.

    Further information can be obtained directly from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.