A National Team is selected among the best athletes in the sport for that country to represent that country at the Olympic or Paralympic Games or other Major Sporting Events. These are athletes and hopefuls who are in a registered testing pool and abide by the World Anti-Doping Code, or should because they will compete internationally. These athletes become the pride of their nation. They may have an entourage of support, including medical professionals, who volunteer their time, knowledge and skills. However, an athlete may not have the resources or awareness of how to assess the skills for the medical professionals, such as the training in sports integrity. A Team Pharmacist (this name will differ between countries) has taken the time to complete additional training to be more aware of the World Anti-Doping Code, to offer reduction of risks to the athletes. Sports integrity and interprofessional collaboration and shared-decision making with a well-informed athlete are taught by the Team Pharmacist programs.
Each national has their own pharmacist training program or is actively developing the standard. NOT ALL PHARMACISTS ARE QUALIFIED TO WORK WITH COMPETITIVE ATHLETES, AT THIS TIME! Existing and developing programs will be listed and updated here. Japan has the most well-established example of anti-doping training targeted at pharmacists, and other models are described below. These are often based on the Team USA Volunteer Team Pharmacist model supported by the U.S. Sports Pharmacy Group, developed by Ashley Anderson, RPh, MBA, IOC-Drugs in Sport Certificate. Licensing of this program is available to National Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Associations who are already working with their Ministry of Health (or equivalent) and their National Olympic/Paralympic Organizations. The Team Pharmacist program of the United States is a trademark name and copyright program that cannot be reproduced in any language or any format or shared in any way without the written permission and licensing of the owners. The JADA Sports Pharmacy System is a copyright program, as well.
Pharmacists working as Athlete Support Personnel have a duty to accurately interpret the World Anti-Doping Code for the athletes they serve. This is a foundation that is equally important to the sports pharmacotherapy knowledge and skills of a well-trained, astute pharmacist.
Athletes have rights and responsibilities. Medical support personnel have rights and responsibilities. Through shared-decision-making, the athlete becomes the most well-informed they can become when working with the people who support them. Safeguarding prioritizes the care of the athlete as a whole person, with needs and desires both within and beyond their sports career.
NATIONAL LEVEL TRAINING
Why national level training? Each country has it's own unique set of pharmacy laws, rules and regulations. Each country is responsible for setting up policies through the anti-doping authority of the national or region, working with the Ministry of Health (or equivalent). The training for a national level Team Pharmacist must be customized to the country policies and laws. These are not interchangeable.