McLaren Global Sport Solutions, Harod Associates, and Clearspeed partner with launch of PROTECT SPORT
McLaren Global Sport Solutions, Harod Associates, and Clearspeed partner to advance anti-doping efforts in sports with the launch of a pioneering voice analytics platform, PROTECT SPORT
The innovative risk assessment technology, powered by Clearspeed, will further the fight against anti-doping by providing fair, fast, and non-intrusive intelligence, for integrity teams to evaluate and action
12 June 2024 – One of sports leading law and arbitration figures, Professor Richard McLaren, has today announced a key partnership with Harod Associates, a global investigation and intelligence company; and Clearspeed, the market leader for assessing risk in speech, to advance anti-doping efforts in sports.
PROTECT SPORT utilizes Clearspeed’s innovative voice analytics technology to detect doping risk quickly and accurately, highlighting elevated-risk athletes and thereby reducing testing requirements for the clean majority. This provides integrity teams with timely and actionable intelligence to enhance the established anti-doping programs.
In the fight against doping, the industry currently spends more than $250 million a year to perform approximately 280,000 tests, resulting in fewer than 1,500 anti-doping rule violations being detected.
While this process is an important deterrent, PROTECT SPORT provides integrity teams with a simple, reliable, and cost-effective screening tool to test athletes at scale.
Clearspeed’s state-of-the-art technology provides a user-centric platform, which can detect the presence of risk in verbal responses to simple questions. The vocal characteristics associated with risk are universal, irrespective of language, culture, geography, or other demographics. The scalability of this technology enables its deployment in sporting environments worldwide.
An effective anti-doping program in the global sports industry is at the forefront of current requirements. PROTECT SPORT complements traditional testing programs and delivers fast, actionable intelligence for sports integrity teams to consider, allowing them to channel their resources more effectively, thereby reducing testing requirements for the clean majority. This capability further allows sports organizations that are faced with addressing complex challenges, to significantly reduce anti-doping costs, making a critical difference throughout the industry.
Professor Richard McLaren, Co-Founder and CEO, McLaren Global Sport Solutions, expressed enthusiasm about the potential impact of the partnership on sports integrity: “Our commitment to maintaining the purity of sports is unwavering. With PROTECT SPORT we can leverage a cutting-edge capability that not only enhances the efficiency of doping detection but also aligns with our mission to ensure fair and transparent competition.” Professor McLaren has spent his career working at the highest levels to protect the integrity of sports. McLaren Global Sport Solutions continues to assist sports organisations in building effective and strong management structures that are based on robust governance and ethical frameworks.
Martin Dubbey, CEO at Harod Associates added: “This technology partnership presents another step forward in our dedication to innovation and ethical investigative practices in the world of sports. We know that current processes are extremely costly and highly intrusive for athletes. With PROTECT SPORT we have a capability that could redefine the landscape of anti-doping measures, ushering in a new era of integrity and fairness in sports.”
“This announcement reflects a seamless continuation of our existing partnership with Harod Associates and will enable sports integrity teams to trust faster,” says Alex Martin, CEO of Clearspeed. “Across industries, we’re seeing a radical shift in innovation around risk assessment, and sports is no different. Through this collaboration, we’ll be able to screen at scale, in any language, quickly identify high-risk cases and clear the vast majority of clean athletes and coaches, keeping the integrity of sports central to the approach.”
ABOUT MGSS
McLaren Global Sport Solution was founded in 2014 as a specialized professional services firm focused on sport integrity to help clients solve complex governance challenges. We serve a range of sport organizations including national and international sport federations, domestic leagues, universities, and professional sport organizations. Mission: To help sports organizations protect and enhance their brand, navigate difficult organizational issues related to ethics, governance and integrity, and inform strategic business decisions.
www.mclarenglobalsportsolutions.com
ABOUT HAROD
Harod is a leading global investigation and intelligence company. We are a trusted partner to many leading law firms, governments, and large international sporting organisations. Through a seamless blend of traditional proven investigative techniques and industry leading proprietary cyber technology capabilities, we are well positioned to identify, investigate, and resolve the most complex issues. Our work with sporting organisations is undertaken with a focus on ensuring integrity, reducing risk, upholding positive sports values, and creating a level playing field to better protect athletes and other key sports stakeholders.
www.harodassociates.com
ABOUT CLEARSPEED
Clearspeed is the market leader for assessing risk in speech. Global organizations trust our highly precise, accurate, and unbiased voice analytics to fast-track low risk while also alerting to possible fraud. Our clients and partners rely on the unique data we provide to improve their risk confidence, reduce their costs, and deliver an improved customer experience.
www.clearspeed.com
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