The ALL ME® Podcast

University of Waterloo Doping Scandal – Bob Copeland

We have all faced tough decisions in our life. In this episode, we interview Bob Copeland who dealt with one of the largest doping scandals in Canadian University Sport, and faced a tough decision because of that. Before Bob’s current position at McLaren Global Sports Solution, Bob was the Athletic Director at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

While at Waterloo, he found widespread usage of Anabolic Steroids and other Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances in his football program. After the investigation, Bob and his team decided to suspend the program for a full year. In this episode Bob tells us his story about what he found, the investigation of what happened, the process behind the decision, the backlash that he received, and ultimately the positive outcomes that happened as a result. When all of this happened we worked with Bob to provide education to his students at Waterloo, and he was also a driving force for us to share this message across many other universities in Canada. 

We also talk with Bob about his position at McLaren Global Sports Solution. Richard McLaren (the co-founder and CEO of McLaren Global Sports Solution) is a well-known name in the anti-doping space as he was an integral part of the Mitchell Report in Major League Baseball and the McLaren Report on the state-sponsored Olympic Russian doping scandal. They now work together on a variety of issues centering on integrity in sport. Bob has always fought for what is right in sport and is a great partner to the Taylor Foundation. He currently sits on our Board of Directors and was the recipient of Taylor’s Award given to those who make an impact in the world of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances.

Resource Definitions and Links:

• McLaren Global Sports Solutions: www.mclarenglobalsportsolutions.com/  
• Waterloo Doping Investigation: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/waterloo-suspends-football-for-steroid-scandal 1.906711#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Waterloo%20in,investigation%20in%20Canadian%20university%20history
• Mitchell Report: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/mitchell/index.jsp
• McLaren Report: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/mclaren_report_part_ii_2.pdf

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