NCAA President Myles Brand spoke to a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee about the Association’s drug-education and drug-testing program February 27.

The hearing, entitled “Drugs in Sports: Compromising the Health of Athletes and Undermining the Integrity of Competition,” was called to explore findings of performance-enhancing drug use among athletes at all levels of competition.

Brand offered an outline of the NCAA’s efforts to provide not only comprehensive drug-testing with serious penalties but also a wide-ranging drug education program for student-athletes. Both prongs of the Association’s approach to performance-enhancing drugs are regularly evaluated by the Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee.

“The NCAA has been active in the fight to eliminate steroid and other performance enhancing drug use for over 35 years.  Through collaborative educational efforts with sports medicine and athletics organizations, the NCAA has been a champion in deterring the use of these substances by young athletes,” Brand said. “We support our colleagues in their efforts to address drug use at the high school and professional leagues, and offer our cooperation to those who share in our commitment to ensure safe, drug free sport.”

To read Brand’s complete testimony, click here.

Others who testified Wednesday include: the commissioners and players association representatives from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League; representatives from the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Anti-Doping Agency; the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and the CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.