Contaminant Testing

In 2004, the ATP established a Task Force charged with finding long-term solutions to its players growing concerns about the risks of consuming contaminated supplements.

Their primary goal was to provide tennis players with practical advice on how to reduce, if not eliminate the risk of inadvertent doping associated with supplements. A group of medical experts and ATP players, including Andre Agassi and Tim Henman, investigated potential partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers who could offer players highly effective sports nutrition products that were safe and pure.

The Situation

The ATP Task Force recognised that GlaxoSmithKline's Nutritional Healthcare division was uniquely placed to utilise its pharmaceutical expertise to help ensure that its Lucozade Sport products do not contain WADA listed prohibited substances or compounds that can cause a positive finding.

In 2005, Lucozade Sport launched its partnership with the ATP to deliver a comprehensive answer to the contamination challenge faced by elite men's tennis.

The Approach

This answer was a three-pronged approach beginning with an audit trail from raw ingredients to the finished product, ensuring the traceability and safety of all products throughout the production process.

Secondly, a stringent batch testing procedure by the independent WADA-approved laboratory, HFL, was set up to ensure that every batch going out to ATP players had been tested and cleared prior to distribution. This enables every player's order to be traced back to an approved batch.

Finally, a piece of packaging innovation saw single serve tamper-evident sports sachets produced for all powder products sent to ATP players. These have subsequently been rolled out to elite and recreational athletes across a range of sports who are currently serviced by, or buy from, Lucozade Sport.

The Result

The partnership with the ATP has set a benchmark for contaminant testing and elite product delivery, leaving a legacy for all Lucozade Sport's sporting partnerships since.

Players and athletes from across Lucozade Sport's sponsorship portfolio, including England Hockey, the Amateur Rowing Association, BUSA and the British Canoeing Union, have all benefited from the product, testing and packaging innovation afforded by the ATP model.