The initiative, launched by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the men's international tennis body, is designed to help players avoid the risk of 'inadvertent doping'. The task force will be chaired by Jan Leschly, a former top 10 tennis player and previously chief executive at SmithKline Beecham.
"On the one hand, it is clear that dietary and nutritional supplements pose real risks of testing positive under anti-doping rules. On the other hand, elite athletes have special dietary and nutritional needs, and often are advised to take vitamins, minerals and supplements to prevent heat exhaustion, crampingand other ailments," said Mark Miles, ATP chief executive officer.
As in other professional sports, tennis has seen some players testing positive for illegal substances after allegedly taking certain dietary supplements.
The ATP said it has consistently advised its players, and will continue to advise them, "that players who take dietary, nutritional or vitamin supplements do so at significant professional risk until other solutions are found."
The task force's goals will include providing ATP players with practical advice on how to reduce - if not eliminate - the risk of inadvertent doping associated with dietary supplements. It will also work with suppliers, nutritionists, trainers, sports scientists and government regulators to achieve more accurate labeling and better quality control of supplements.
The first meeting of the committee takes place at the end of the month in Miami. More information about the programme can be found on the ATP website.