By Megan Armitage
Northampton Saints' Alex Coles has heralded UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)'s new anonymous reporting service for keeping team harmony at the forefront of clean sport.
The 25-year-old, who has racked up seven caps for the England senior team, made his Saints debut back in 2018 and has become a stalwart for the side that clinched the Premiership Rugby crown last season.
UKAD recently launched an anonymous SMS and WhatsApp service, which is already proving a popular method for individuals to speak directly to UKAD, with them not being able to see the name or number of the person reporting.
Coles believes this anonymous system is the key to encouraging more people to come forward.
"Ensuring that people know that it is anonymous has facilitated reporting when previously the doubts and suspicions wouldn't have been brought forward," he said.
"Sport is a small world, so you're often connected to other athletes.
"Especially within a team sport like mine, these are people you have a really strong camaraderie with, and it would be very difficult to come forward and mention something you had seen or heard if you knew it would come back to you. This is why UKAD’s new anonymous SMS and WhatsApp reporting service is so important.”
Last year saw the highest record of doping reports to UKAD since the launch of its Protect Your Sport reporting campaign in 2020, receiving 211 reports of suspected doping misconduct across 30 sports in 2024 due, in part, to the increased attention given to anonymous whistleblowing.
Coles is required to abide to the UK Anti-Doping Rules and noted the rigid structure he undergoes to make sure that everything that enters his system remains off the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List.
"Day-to-day it informs a lot of my decisions around supplements and medication, you have to be really on the ball," he said. "I'm always checking, even things you wouldn't even think about.
"Then over the season we have sporadic random testing, usually more frequent during international camps.
"On average I usually get tested two or three times a year and we have at least one education session as well to inform everyone on the reasonings behind anti-doping."
Fifteen individuals were sanctioned in the UK last year for Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Coles is keen to play a part in stamping out such cases, both to help him achieve his own personal goals and to keep sport protected for the next generation.
"As an athlete, selfishly I want to have the best chance to get to where I want to get, whether that's winning the Premiership or playing for England," he said.
"So there has to be a level playing field in terms of those opportunities, coming down to your skill, hard work and dedication rather than artificial unfair additives.
"But I also want that integrity to be maintained so no one is questioning the validity of achievements.
"There should never be an instance where a young person is watching a game and thinking they can't do that because the player is on performance enhancing drugs."
You can report doping suspicions to UKAD by WhatsApp and SMS (07822 023233), email ([email protected]), online (search: Protect Your Sport), or by phone (0800 032 2332). To find out more and to report your suspicions of doping, search Protect Your Sport.
