Drug Free Australia Patron and Tennis Champion, Margaret Court says that drugs play no role in sport. “It’s like cheating – not only cheating yourself, but your team mates”.

“If amphetamines and other similar stimulants are the reason that you win, it’s not really your skill, but a temporary boost by drugs. Just imagine how you would feel if you lost a race, or your tennis title, to someone who had cheated by using drugs. In the past this has happened, even at Olympic level and has been discovered too late to give the gold medal to the person who really deserved to win it”.

Dr Court spoke at an assembly at Rehoboth School, Perth on Friday, to congratulate students on being the National winners of Drug Free Australia’s National Schools Competition. She congratulated them on their strong pro-health stance against drugs.

The school will receive a raft of prizes for their effort including:

• $500 sports vouchers from Rebel Sport
• Silver tray (trophy for the school, as the National Winner)
• Certificate for the school signed by Margaret Court
• Certificate and tennis racquet signed by Margaret Court for the winning student

In their competition entries, Year 8 students at Rehoboth School took a strong stand against illicit drugs and have given a wide range of reasons why Australia should keep drug free. They graphically portrayed the difference between a life free of illicit drugs and one devastated by the impact of using them.

As Drug Free Australia’s patron, Margaret Court has commended the young people for taking this stance, against the current trend occurring in the sporting world, particularly football.

Drug Free Australia’s Chair, Craig Thompson has welcomed the Federal Sports Minister, George Brandis’ initiative to legislate for drug testing during off-season and weekends in order to eliminate the use of illicit substances in Australian sport.

‘We have always said that, unless a clear message comes from the top, at political policy-making level, people will continue to tolerate the use of illicit drugs, thinking they are safe to use. In fact, these drugs are illegal because they are extremely dangerous to health and mental condition.

Drug Fee Australia’s Executive Officer, Jo Baxter says that “A truly compassionate policy is one which looks after the wellbeing of its players. It is one that does everything possible to prevent the uptake of illicit drugs in the first place. It is NOT one which effectively allows them to take illegal narcotics and psycho-stimulants – which after 2 or 3 times of random testing could mean that players are well into addiction.