National Anti-Doping Bill

In News

• Recently, Parliament passed the National Anti-Doping Bill.

What do you mean by Doping?

• Meaning: The term “doping” refers to the use of prohibited medications, drugs, or treatments by athletes with the intention of improving athletic performance.
• Regulation: In 1967 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned doping, and in 1999 the IOC led the initiative to form the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 
  • WADA forms the backbone of anti-doping laws and testing worldwide, and assists in setting the standard for other agencies and sports. 
  • WADA’s main activities include education of the health risks of doping, scientific research of doping practices, development of anti-doping capabilities, and development of testing methods for doping detection.
• Criteria that constitutes doping: 
  • It enhances performance
  • It presents a risk to the athlete’s health
  • It is contrary to the spirit of the sport
• Issues associated with doping:
  • Athletes would often suffer adverse health effects and even premature death that seemed to be associated with the doping practices.
  • Stunted growth and disruption of puberty in children.
  • Steroid use can be associated with depression, and in some cases, suicide.

Major provisions of the Bill 

• Statutory authority
  • The Bill is intended to provide a statutory framework for the operation of the National Anti-Doping Agency, the National Dope Testing Laboratory and other dope testing laboratories and for creation of a National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to strengthen anti-doping activities in sport. 
  • Statutory framework in the form of legislation for prohibition of doping in sports and enforcing anti-doping activities in the country.
• Investigation
  • The bill provides for planning, implementing, and monitoring anti-doping activities as well as investigating anti-doping rule violations. 
• Prohibition
  • The legislation prohibits athletes, athlete support personnel, and other persons from engaging in doping in sports. 
• Punishment
  • The violation of anti-doping rules may result in disqualification of results including forfeiture of medals, points, and prizes, ineligibility to participate in a competition or event for a prescribed period, and financial sanctions. 
• The proposed Bill intends to accomplish:
  • Building institutional capabilities in anti-doping and enabling hosting of major sports events;
  • Protecting rights of all sportspersons;
  • Ensuring time-bound justice to athletes;
  • Enhancing cooperation among agencies in fighting doping in sports;
  • Reinforcing India’s commitment to international obligations for clean sports;
  • Independent mechanism for anti-doping adjudication;
  • Providing legal sanctity to National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) & National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL);
  • Establishing more Dope Testing Labs;
  • Creating job opportunities both, directly & indirectly; and
  • Creating opportunities for academic research, science and manufacturing relating to Anti-Doping.
  • Establishing standards for the manufacturing of nutritional supplements for sports in India.

Significance of the Bill 

• Club of select countries
  • India will now join the League of Nations like the US, China, France, Australia, Japan, S Korea to have a law and dope test laboratory.
  • Around 30 countries have their own Anti-Doping Law.
• Increase the testing capacity
  • India could carry out only about 6,000 tests a year at present and the proposed legislation would help increase the testing capacity significantly.
  • For holding any major international championship, the number of tests required could be as high as 10,000 a month.
• Testing facility
  • The Bill will also pave the way for establishing more Dope Testing Laboratories in the country. 
  • Samples from 16 countries were tested in laboratories located in India.
• Focus on the field of sports medicine
  • All competitions should be brought under NADA and sought more focus on the field of sports medicine and science to help players recover from injuries.
• Awareness, education and research 
  • The passing of the Bill will help to increase awareness, education and research facilities related to anti-doping within the country.

Way Forward

• Strong message to the world: The making of this Law will send a strong message to the world that India is very serious about sports, sportspersons and tackling doping.
• Highest standards of integrity: The new Law will ensure highest standards of integrity while participating and preparing for sports competitions, domestically and internationally. 
• UNESCO convention: It also seeks to give effect to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Convention against doping in sports and compliance with such other obligations and commitments. 
• Sports infrastructure: the government will leave no stone unturned in the promotion of sports and enhancing facilities for the sportspersons and creating sports infrastructure.
• North-east India: Government has worked on Act East policy as athletes from the northeast have made an immense contribution to a sports arena in India.

Source: TH