Around 400 Dubai Police athletes representing 29 sports will take part in a new anti-doping awareness programme aimed at protecting athletes’ health and promoting clean and fair competition. The initiative will also see the athletes serve as ambassadors for anti-doping awareness, helping communicate information about prohibited substances and potentially harmful sports supplements to fellow athletes and the wider community.
The programme is being introduced alongside the Anti-Doping in Sport Forum, which Dubai Police will organise in partnership with the UAE National Anti-Doping Agency and the Dubai Sports Council on September 17, 2026. The forum will be held under the theme “Protecting Sports… Protecting the Community” and will bring together experts, officials and researchers from sporting, health, security and academic institutions in the UAE and abroad.
According to Dubai Police, the awareness programme will begin with its athletes before the participants help extend the message to gyms, homes and the wider community. Lieutenant Colonel Salem bin Ghalaita, a member of the Sports Integration Council at Dubai Police, said the initiative is intended to raise awareness of the risks associated with prohibited substances and some sports supplements.
The timing of the initiative coincides with the beginning of Dubai’s sporting season, when many competitions and sporting events take place between September and October. Officials said this period provides an appropriate opportunity to strengthen awareness of anti-doping regulations among athletes.
A key focus of the forum will be educating athletes about substances and practices that are permitted or prohibited under international anti-doping regulations. Discussions will also address the role and procedures of the UAE’s national anti-doping authority, as well as the risks associated with dietary and sports supplements.
Officials have highlighted the risks associated with supplements because athletes may sometimes use products for performance or health purposes without knowing that certain ingredients could contain substances prohibited under anti-doping rules. The forum is expected to provide information on current regulations and requirements so athletes can better understand what is permitted in competitive sport.
The wider forum will address several areas related to anti-doping, including prevention, athlete protection, emerging prohibited substances and methods, institutional responsibilities and international cooperation. It will also examine the health, legal and ethical consequences of doping and promote awareness among young and emerging athletes.
Dubai Police has described anti-doping awareness as part of its preventive and community responsibilities. The force conducts workshops, lectures and visits to schools, sports clubs and gyms throughout the year. Its awareness efforts include the Aware Athlete initiative, which focuses on positive behaviour, community values and physical and mental wellbeing.
The Dubai Sports Council has also been working with relevant authorities, including the UAE National Anti-Doping Agency, to organise awareness programmes for athletes across Dubai’s sports clubs and different sporting disciplines. Officials from the council have emphasised that athletes, as well as their medical, technical and administrative teams, need to remain informed about changes to anti-doping regulations.
The September 17 forum will also include discussions on the safe use of dietary supplements and examples illustrating the consequences of doping. A specialised exhibition focusing on sports and dietary supplements is planned as part of the broader awareness effort, with the aim of promoting responsible and informed use of such products.
Through the participation of its athletes, Dubai Police is seeking to extend anti-doping education beyond sporting competitions and into the wider community. The initiative places athlete education, health protection and fair competition at the centre of Dubai’s efforts to strengthen awareness of clean sport.
