Greens announce new sports supplement hotline

Australian Greens spokesperson for sport and health, Senator Richard Di Natale, today launched the Greens policy for a new body that would provide information about sports supplements.

“The Greens care about protecting both Australian sport and the health of our athletes,” said Senator Di Natale

“Both are put at risk when Australian sportspeople become guinea pigs in an uncontrolled pharmacological arms race. That’s why I referred the issue of sports science to a Senate Inquiry, which reported on Tuesday.

“One of the clear messages I got from the inquiry is that it is very hard for any young athlete to access authoritative advice about the safety and classification of substances they are offered.

“Currently, one of the only sources of this information is ASADA but athletes are reluctant to contact the body that is responsible for prosecuting them for breaches of the code.

“Today the Greens are committing to fund an independent sports supplement clearinghouse that athletes will be able to access anonymously via a hotline or online.

“This will give athletes and players the confidence that what they are taking is not banned and is not dangerous. And importantly it would make it possible to track what substances are becoming popular by tracking inquiries over time.

“In Tuesday’s committee report, the old parties failed to commit to this or any other reform that would help safeguard the health of our young athletes. This shows that the Greens are the only ones standing up for what matters.”

Media Contact: Andrew Blyberg 0457 901 600