We believe in clean sport and work in partnership with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), GB Climbing and International Federation Sport Climbing (IFSC) to ensure that the integrity of our sport is protected.

Anti-doping Rules

Mountaineering Scotland aligns with UK Anti-Doping and as such has in place a set of anti-doping rules that all athletes and athlete support personnel must abide by. The anti-doping rules for Mountaineering Scotland are consistent with the World Anti-Doping Code, the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport globally.

The anti-doping rules of Mountaineering Scotland are the rules published by UK Anti-Doping (or its successor), as amended from time to time.

If you are a member of Mountaineering Scotland and compete in climbing competitions delivered by any of the following organisations, then the anti-doping guidance/rules apply to you, regardless of what level you participate at:

  • ClimbScotland
  • BMC
  • GB Climbing
  • Mountaineering Ireland
  • IFSC
  • UIAA

You can find the latest UK Anti-Doping rules on the UKAD website.

World Anti-Doping Code

From 1 January 2021, a new version of the Code is in effect and it’s important that all athletes and athlete support personnel are aware of how this impacts them.

For a summary of the 2021 Code changes, click here (PDF)

Under the 2021 Code, an athlete may be classified as being “International-Level”, “National-Level” or a “Recreational Athlete” based on their competition level. Further information on these different categories is available on the UKAD website.

Need to know

What can you do?

Everyone involved in sport has a duty and a responsibility to play their part in the journey towards clean sport. The following information and resources have been pulled together to support coaches (paid or volunteer) and athletes

Guidance for Climbing Coaches – Squad/teams/clubs/groups

For athletes

  • Instil the right values in your athletes from the start – commitment, dedication, pursuit of personal excellence, resilience
  • Run information session for athletes and parents/carers/guardians to introduce them to Clean Sport
  • Support your athletes effectively for the next stage in their sporting career. Don’t let them turn up to a test not knowing what to expect… all athlete experiences with anti-doping procedures should be positive ones, recognising their achievements as Clean
  • Make the difficult decisions – dropping a player for inappropriate behaviour to set an example may be hard in the short term but this will be a valuable lesson for the athlete in the long term
  • Ensure athletes have balance in their lives including other interests
  • Support athletes to deal with perceived failure and disappointment, and help them to experience and cope with the ups and downs of participating in sport

Summary of useful links:

Useful contacts

Contact UKAD at 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Mountaineering Scotland Anti-doping Lead Officer, Jamie Smith at: