More than 25 national governing bodies (NGBs), including the Rugby Football Union, Welsh Rugby Union and British Rowing, attended UKAD’s Hot Topics Forum, which had a specific focus on amateur sports.

A BBC survey in 2017 highlighted a "widespread problem" of doping in amateur sport.

The broadcaster’s State of Sport investigation found that 35 per cent of amateur sports people say they personally know someone who has used a performance-enhancing drug.

Half of amateur athletes interviewed also said they believed performance-enhancing substance use to be "widespread".

The Forum gave sports a platform to discuss how to best gather and share relevant research, ways in which to engage the UK network of amateur sports clubs, bespoke methods to deliver direct to athletes, and the merits of education versus testing in amateur sport.

"It’s a vital part of our extensive education strategy to work collaboratively with NGBs and sporting organisations at all levels," Amanda Hudson, UKAD’s head of education and athlete support, said.

"We have seen a growing concern from sports about the issues of doping at amateur level, and this focus also forms part of our obligations outlined in UKAD’s new four-year strategic plan.

"Having identified threats to the integrity of amateur sports, UKAD decided it was important to focus the latest Hot Topics Forum on this area, and establish how best to help address the issues.

"There is a clear appetite from NGBs to educate amateur athletes, which is very encouraging, and UKAD will continue to work closely with sports to develop effective education programmes."

Gemma Wiggs, the anti-doping lead officer at British Canoeing, added: "The Hot Topics Forum was a great event and the opportunity to share best practice and ideas with other stakeholders of clean sport was really useful.

"It is essential that the education of athletes starts as early as possible.

"All attendees had common challenges in engaging with recreational athletes and support personnel, and the development of shared resources and channels of communication was a strong outcome from the meeting."

As part of UKAD’s new four-year strategic plan, launched in April, the organisation has set out a number of ways in which it will increase its collaborative work with sports in order to combat doping.

These include expanding UKAD’s prevention activity to work with younger age groups, helping NGBs deliver education by providing the latest resources, and guidance and access to UKAD’s network of national trainers.

Another is developing an "assurance framework" in consultation with sports partners to ensure they are fulfilling their anti-doping obligations.

"Events such as the Hot Topics Forum are one of the key ways in which UKAD can provoke change at all levels of sport," Colin Allen, UKAD’s education services manager, said.

"By sharing information and expertise to assist sports in their work, we can ensure that anti-doping is given the importance it deserves."

In May, UKAD held Clean Sport Week in an attempt to promote and explain anti-doping education work, including steps taken by sport to protect athletes at all levels from performance-enhancing drugs.

The organisation committed to helping participants in sport at grassroots and amateur level understand the health risks of doping and using performance and image-enhancing products.