The new anti-doping measures for sports are gathering pace. The piece of legislation approved a few weeks ago by the Government Council has been transferred to the House of Representatives. It will soon be examined by the Social Sectors Commission.
This new bill aims to upgrade the legal arsenal for combating and preventing doping in sport, notably by harmonizing certain articles of the current law with the World Anti-Doping Code. The aim of this reform is to adapt the legal framework governing these activities to overcome the constraints identified by the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency in practice. In concrete terms, the aim is to strengthen prevention and inspection mechanisms.
Article 3 of this legislation stipulates that «to guarantee the proper conditions for the practice of physical and sporting activities, the competent administration shall ensure that preventive, medical, and educational actions are implemented with the assistance of sports federations, in accordance with the law, to ensure the protection of athletes’ health and combat doping».
The new provisions also extend the scope of the fight against doping to all competitive activities, including those practiced for recreational purposes in an organized setting.
This piece of legislation also opens up the possibility of biological samples being analyzed or studied by laboratories recognized by the Agency, in accordance with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code, in addition to laboratories accredited under current regulations.
With regard to testing, article 12 stipulates that it is to be carried out in «any sports arena or outside it, during or outside sporting competitions and events, without prior warning». The draft also provides for an exception to the rule of unannounced visits, but this must be «justified by the Agency». These inspections may be launched by the Agency, on its own initiative or at the request of a national or international sports federation, a foreign anti-doping organization or the World Anti-Doping Agency, in order to investigate and establish facts constituting violations of the regulations in force. In addition to the Agency’s inspection agents, who are qualified in accordance with international standards, duly sworn and specially commissioned for this purpose, the new system also provides for the collection of biological samples from athletes to be carried out, where appropriate, by sampling agents. A decree will determine the procedures for carrying out testing operations, in accordance with international standards.
M.A.M.
