Clean Sport Week 2026: Built not bought, 100% me

Cardiff Met Sport is supporting UK Anti-Doping’s Clean Sport Week 2026, joining athletes, coaches, gym users and sporting communities across the UK in championing fair play, integrity and drug-free sport.

Taking place from 11 to 17 May, Clean Sport Week is UKAD’s annual campaign to celebrate clean sport and raise awareness of the choices athletes make to protect their health, their reputation and the integrity of competition. This year’s theme, “Built not bought. 100% me.”, sends a clear message to every athlete, at every level: lasting success comes from hard work, talent, dedication and doing things the right way. 

The 2026 campaign is placing a particular focus on the growing risks around Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs), including SARMs, or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators. UKAD has warned that young athletes and gym-goers are increasingly being exposed to misleading online content promoting these substances, often through social media and influencer-led messaging. 

SARMs are not approved for human consumption and are banned in sport. Despite this, they are often marketed online as a shortcut to improved performance or appearance. UKAD has highlighted serious potential health risks, including liver damage, reduced natural testosterone production and cardiovascular issues. 

For Cardiff Met Sport, Clean Sport Week is an important reminder that performance should be built on positive habits, quality coaching, safe training environments and informed choices. Whether competing at BUCS level, representing a club, training in the gym or aspiring to progress through a performance pathway, clean sport is everyone’s responsibility.

Katie Payne, Athlete Lifestyle and Education Manager, and Clean Sport Lead for Cardiff Met said “Clean Sport Week is an opportunity for us to reinforce what success in sport should truly look like. At Cardiff Met Sport, we are committed to supporting our athletes to make informed, values-driven decisions that protect both their health and the integrity of competition. With the growing risks around substances such as SARMs and other IPEDs, it is more important than ever that we challenge misinformation and promote a culture built on hard work, honesty and accountability. There are no shortcuts to success, it must be built, not bought. 100% me.”

The choices made by student-athletes, coaches and support staff help shape the culture around sport, particularly for younger people who may be influenced by what they see online.

UKAD is working with CIMSPA, the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity workforce, to call on the fitness industry to help share accurate information and challenge dangerous misinformation around IPEDs. 

Clean Sport Week is not only about rules and testing. It is about protecting athletes, supporting their wellbeing and making sure success is earned in a way that reflects the values of sport.

At Cardiff Met, the message is simple: train hard, compete fairly and be proud of what you build.

Built not bought. 100% me.