Deas joins UKAD Commission

British Skeleton slider Laura Deas has been appointed to the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) Athlete Commission as the organisation seeks to strengthen the voice of athletes within anti-doping.

UKAD is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK, including the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association, are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.

The UKAD Athlete Commission advises and supports UKAD’s work, and has the responsibility of working with other athlete-centred groups, such as the British Athletes Commission (BAC), to ensure the wider views of Great Britain’s athlete community are represented.

Deas, who won Olympic bronze in PyeongChang in February, will take up the post immediately and combine the role with her skeleton career as she gets ready for the new season.

“It's a great honour to be appointed to the UKAD Athlete Commission,” said Deas.

I feel strongly about the protection and promotion of the right for athletes to compete on a level playing field.

"I’m looking forward to contributing to the work of UKAD in doing this.”

The 29-year-old is one of four new athletes joining the Commission for an initial two-year term.

Multiple British weightlifting champion Jo Calvino, 50m backstroke world record holder Liam Tancock and ex Gloucester RFC second-row James Hudson are the others announced by UKAD earlier today.

The appointments come a month after the inaugural World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Global Athlete Forum, at which athletes, including UKAD Athlete Commission members Ali Jawad and Callum Skinner, called for a stronger athlete voice within anti-doping.

“We were extremely impressed with the number of high calibre candidates that applied for a position on the Athlete Commission, the level of anti-doping knowledge they held and the level of thinking they had done around the subject,” said UKAD Athlete Commission Chair, Sarah Winckless MBE, who is also a BBSA Board member.

“Their personal commitment to clean sport was great to see. From this, it’s clear that anti-doping continues to be extremely high on the agenda of elite athletes.

James, Jo, Laura and Liam were successfully appointed onto the Commission because of their diverse experiences as top-level athletes, and their passion for anti-doping.

"I think all four of them will bring their own networks and ideas to the Commission and I look forward to working with them.”

The four appointments take the number of Commission members up to 11, representing Olympic and Paralympic sports across Great Britain, including athletics, cycling, rowing, powerlifting and, now, skeleton.