Supporting Clean Sport at the Paris Olympics

With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games approaching, the importance of trusted sports nutritional products cannot be overstated. The case of CJ Ujah, a British sprinter who lost his Olympic medal after testing positive for a banned substance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, underscores the need for athletes to avoid the use of contaminated supplements. Despite clear guidance from UK Athletics to use Informed Sport certified products, Ujah's decision to use non-certified supplements led to his disqualification and a tarnished career.

This has taken on greater importance as a new study, published by researchers from various Japanese institutions such as the Japan Institute of Sports Science, has indicated that athlete use of supplements continues to increase. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 70% of athletes consumed dietary supplements, and 50% did so at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. These statistics demonstrate a more widespread reliance on supplements among elite athletes, further emphasizing the need for stringent safety measures.

This trend can also be seen in future Olympians. A recent study ‘Collegiate student-athletes use and knowledge of third-party tested nutritional supplements: An exploratory study’, published earlier this year, highlighted the prevalent use of supplements among collegiate student-athletes, revealing significant risks associated with non-certified products. It found that 91% of these athletes used one or more supplements. 48% purchased supplements outside their athletic department's recommendations, and only 38% consistently used third-party tested products. This indicates a significant potential risk as uncertified supplements can be contaminated with banned substances.

To mitigate these risks, numerous sporting and professional bodies strongly recommend the use of certified supplements that have been batch tested by third-party companies such as Informed Sport. VOW Nutrition recently secured the sponsorship of Team GB as an Official Nutrition Licensee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Being Informed Sport certified was a key factor in winning the license given the rigorous testing to ensure its products are free from banned substances, thereby protecting athletes from inadvertent doping violations.

The importance of Informed Sport certified supplements is multifaceted, addressing athlete safety, fairness in competition, and adherence to regulatory standards. They therefore play a critical role at the Olympics by safeguarding athlete health, ensuring compliance with anti-doping regulations, and maintaining the integrity of the competition. By choosing certified supplements, athletes can enhance their performance safely and with confidence, focusing entirely on their pursuit of excellence in the Games.

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