1. The goals of anti-doping program

The goal of POSA-WHEA´s anti-doping program is to work anti-doping work globally in pole sports it represents as wide as its resources allows. The first aim is to follow the progression of international anti-doping work and via it introduce anti-doping work to these sports, which haven’t had it before.
The tools of the anti-doping work are education-, and enlightenment to get globally all-specially young athletes, their coaches and other supporters to be aware of the health dangers of doping use, prohibition of doping and it’s conflict with Fair Play-principle and via it eventually to root out the use of doping in the events under POSA auspices.

2. Ethical definition of policy

Doping is against the principles of sports and medical ethics, along with Fair Play-spirit.
Doping harms the health of the athlete. Doping is wrong. Doping is forbidden.

3. The obeyed rules, programs, and commitment

The rules about anti-doping are in the rules of the federation/association, discipline rules and in the competition rules. The changes in the international anti-doping work is followed and the necessary changes are done to the rules, when international convention or rules change, or if other need is noted. The prohibited list is the same as in the list updated by WADA and the association is committed to comply with WADA rules, national rules in the country of competitions which are under the association’s jurisdiction.
The commitment of the athletes and other personnel to the CODE is done via POSA & World Heavy Events Association rules, via national federation rules, discipline rules and via anti-doping contract.

3.1 Activity rules

The base of the activity of the association are the ethical values of the sports along with Fair Play – spirit.
The association can build event-related competition-, discipline- or other pole 6 aerial event related actions and the association’s principles of sport ethics and fair play spirit along with orders about gambling.
The athlete members or the association (or national federation) along with the persons participating pole event actions under the associations jurisdiction are committed to obey the at each time valid anti-doping rules/CODE which is obeyed in POSA & World Heavy Events Association.
The association publishes information about anti-doping in its channels along with other education and information.

3.2 Discipline rules

1.3.2 The association is committed to obey the WADA’s World Anti-Doping Code (CODE) and it’s international, valid norms. See more: www.wada-ama.org. The national federations are committed to obey the CODE along with their national NADOs antidoping rules and World Heavy Events anti-doping rules.
1.3.3 The members of the association or national federations are committed to obey the rules at each time valid anti-doping rules, which are followed in the association. The rules which are followed in the association are mentioned in 1.3.2
1.3.4 Along with above 1.3.3 is stated, the athletes or other personnel taking part to pole event actions under POSA-WHEA jurisdiction are obliged to follow the internal discipline rules of POSA-WHEA about anti-doping cases.

3.3. Anti-doping contract

• The association or national federation makes an anti-doping contract with each athlete. Via the contract the athlete commits to follow the principles of clean sports and commits to POSA-WHEA anti-doping rules along with World Anti-Doping Code and all international norms under its jurisdiction, and commits to follow World Heavy Events Association’s international anti-doping rules and by signing the anti-doping contract the athlete commits to obey them.
• By approving the anti-doping contract by purchasing the license the athlete commits to doping-testing and the sanctions by the rules. During the contract validation time the athlete can be tested by motion of WADA, any NADOs in the world, World Heavy Events Association, or its national federation whenever, wherever without pre-notice.
• The athlete cannot take part to any competition under POSA-WHEA jurisdiction before he/she has paid the yearly license fee to the association and have approved the anti-doping contract by purchasing the license.
• If POSA or its national federation has banned or bans an athlete (due doping violation), who has signed the anti-doping contract the athlete commits to pay POSA or its national federation a fee, what is mentioned in the rules of POSA-WHEA agreement or its national federation and before the payment the athlete cannot take part to any competition under POSA-WHEA jurisdiction even the ban is over in time.
• An athlete under 18 years cannot sign the anti-doping contract with WHEA or its national federation without parents written permission.
• If the banned athlete is under returning testing, he/she must be the member of POSA & World Heavy Events Association and he/she must have valid anti-doping contract.

4. Current situation and the areas of responsibility

The main responsibility of the anti-doping work is carried by the board of the association and it corresponds about information, education, communication along with sanctions and fulfilling them.
The board also is responsible about execution of this anti-doping program.

5. Doping control

The NADO´s are in charge about national anti-doping monitoring, so the main point of the associations anti-doping work is in education- and guidance work.
In international competitions there is doping-tests compatible to POSA-WHEA antidoping rules.
POSA-World Heavy Events Association can name athletes to its testing pool within the criteria’s. Those athletes are demanded sharp and real time location information for testing outside of the competitions.
WADA, NADOs, POSA-WHEA and its national federations have the rights to do testing to the athletes under the association’s jurisdiction in competitions and outside of the competitions.

6. Immunities

If there is no allowed medicine or method available to cure disease or maintain health, the athlete may apply immunity for medicine or method. After getting the immunity, the athlete has the permission to use that medicine or method.
POSA, through the Head of Anti-Doping or its national federations are allowing immunities, which are requested and confirmed by the athlete’s NADO before the competitions. See your NADOs webpages for further info.

7. Education and information

• POSA follows logically and publicly it’s anti-doping line.
• POSA, through World Heavy Events Association, co-operates with WADA and NADOs.
• From the federation pages there’s links to WADA and NADO.
• The association operates current anti-doping cases in its news channels.
• Each member gets twice a year the reading right to the membership letter, which is the official information channel of the association along with the news channels.
• The association aims to held anti-doping education also in the competition and other happenings as much as resources are allowing.

8. International effects

By taking part to the international anti-doping work actively and speaking out behalf of clean sports POSA aims to effect, that the global goals under WADA´s leading for stopping doping and harmonizing anti-doping actions globally coming true.

9. Procedures (in case of positivity)

The procedures in doping-cases, handling unfinished case, hearing the relevant, decision making, publishing, and the advice of complaining is mainly specified in this anti-doping program.
In the procedures, the legal protection of the athlete has noted so that in the procedure for unfinished case, the only ones aware of the case are along with the athlete, WADA or NADO or their monitoring board and the chairmen and secretary of the boards of POSA (Head of Antidoping Chair) or its national federation, until the case has confirmed as doping violation, when it is bring to the board’s moot point. If the case is decided that it is not a doping violation it is not dealt with the board.

10. Sanctions

• WADA or NADO gets a notification about positive doping-test result, denied test, manipulated or other suspect of doping violation.
• WADA or NADO delivers written note/request of explanation to the person in case along with the association/federation and they have seven (7) days’ time from the receiving of the note/request the right to give their written explanation in case or present written request to be heard in the monitoring board meeting before the decision making about is it or is it not a doping violation.
• Temporary ban: WADA or NADO temporary bans the athlete, who has given a doping-test, which has (A-test) reported positive result from prohibited substance or method.
  WADA or NADO informs about temporary ban to the athlete and other parties involved.
• WADA or NADO can sanction the athlete or other person to temporary ban, whose Atest have been reported positive with any prohibited substances or methods from WADA´s or NADOs lists, or athlete or other person who can be suspected rightly about doping violation. WADA or NADO informs athlete or other person about the case along with other parties involved.

The athlete or other person, who is under temporary ban must be heard in the monitoring board soon. The procedure is mentioned in the board’s rules.

During temporary ban, the athlete or other person cannot:

A: represent the federation/country or any other party, which is committed to the CODE in any competition under any event, which is committed to the CODE; nor

B: take part as an athlete or official to any competition or other sports happening, which is organized by any party committed to the CODE.

• After getting the explanation, (mentioned here at second sentence of 10.) or after other procedure mentioned in the rules, the board invests the case and decides if it is a doping case. In that matter, that the athlete has requested B-analysis with his/her own cost, it will be done before the decision.
• An athlete or other person can give up expressly the about the hearing in the monitoring board. If the athlete or other person is not denying the claim about the doping violation in seven (7) days after getting the info about suspected violation it will be considered also as giving up the hearing.
• After making the decision the monitoring board gives written judgment about the case along with the sanction, which would be given about the violation by the CODE (WADA or NADO).
• After getting the decision in written about the violation and suggested sanction POSA board contacts the person in the case and gives the person seven (7) days’ time to give his/her written (paper or email) explanation about the notification of the explanation.
  The person in the case is also getting the opportunity to be heard in the board meeting before the judgement.
• POSA board is summoned as soon as possible after the person in the case has given his/her explanation mentioned above. If the person in the case is not giving the explanation during the mentioned time frame, the board is summoned as soon as possible after this deadline.
• POSA follows the suggestion of sanction from WADA/NADO unless the case is under the hardened sanction violations in the association rules.
• The decision about the sanction is informed without delays via email or phone to the person in the case. The decision is also delivered in written via mail. The Head of Antidoping of the POSA board is responsible about giving the information. In the written version there is also guidelines how to complain about the decision along with needed addresses and contact information for questions about the complaining along with the complaining time (30 days from the time of the sanction information).
• POSA & World Heavy Events Association collects the fees from the person in the case as they are mentioned in the rules.

11. Publishing the case about doping

The sanction about doping case is informed without delays to WADA or NADO along with information in public news channels and association/federation channels and in next members’ letter.
The Chairman of the board is responsible about the communications and information.
There won’t be separate press conference about the case unless there is some special reason for it. In that case the association board decides the ways and channels of communication.

12. Consequences of the ban in sports

The athlete or other person, who is banned in sports cannot take part in any form to any POSA competition (international or national) or its national federation’s or any other parties, which is committed to the CODE competition or other action which is under the jurisdiction of the mentioned parties.
If the athlete acts against this rule, his/her results are disqualified, and the counting of the ban time is ordered to start again from the date of the violation.

13. Organization and monitoring

In current form of the POSA, the anti-doping program is fulfilled and monitored by the Head of Antidoping and the board. The decisions and monitoring the actions in antidoping cases happens during the normal monitoring of the board meetings and during the preparations of the meetings.
Anti-doping program is a part of routines in the federation. The program is monitored and it is reported yearly in the annual reports.
Anti-doping program is changed if needed to response to the needs of current conditions. If the organization of the association changes, the anti-doping program is focused to answer better the performance of the new organization.
For doping rule violations POSA’s board acts as hearing and appealing bodies.

Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)

Athletes may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take medications.
If the medication an athlete is required to take to treat an illness or condition happens to fall under the Prohibited List, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) may give that athlete the authorization to take the needed medicine.
The purpose of the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE) is to ensure that the process of granting TUEs is harmonized across sports and countries.
How to apply TUE from POSA-WHEA:

1. If the athletes NADO has given valid TUE, POSA-WHEA will recognize it and the athlete only need to send it to POSA-WHEA. If the athlete don’t have TUE it needs to be applied in minimum of 60 days prior the competition.
2. How to apply:
   1. Fill out WADA´s TUE form in English: https://www.wadaama.org/en/resources/therapeutic-use-exemption-tue/tue-application-form (Fill WHEA on the box at the right upper corner).
   2. Send the rightly filled and signed application (only) to ethics@worldheavyeventsassociation.com
   3. You will get confirmation of the arrival and estimation about the processing time (which can take up to 60 or more days).
   4. In the process WADA´s guidelines are followed* and if needed POSA-WHEA is
      consulting FINCIS in decision making.
      *POSA-WHEA does not approve MTF athletes to compete in female classes due special requirements of the pole sports WHEA represents.
   5. If the TUE is granted, the athlete will receive the proof document via email.
   6. If the TUE is not granted, the athlete will receive the decision about it via email.
   7. The athlete has the right to complaint about the decision to CAS.

Please note, that applications in other languages than English, are not approved. Unsigned or otherwise wrongly filled or partially un-filled applications are not approved.

Hämeenlinna, Finland, 21st, Dec. 2018.
POSA
Jyrki Rantanen
WHEA Chairman
Head of Antidoping – POSA