iNADO drives the Guiding Principles for the Future of Anti-Doping
Our strategic priority Speaking up for NADOs/RADOS Globally is focused on advocating for a stronger anti-doping ecosystem and promoting transparency through insights based on the experiences of NADOS/RADOS.
Speaking up for NADOs/RADOs Globally is backed by three strategic activities:
- Advocate for practice
- Gather & share data
- Share global stories
NADOs that have already signed to promote the Guiding Principles (sorted alphabetically)
- ABCD – Autoridade Brasileira de Controle de Dopagem
- Anti-Doping Danmark
- Anti-Doping Norway
- Anti-Doping Sweden
- Anti-Doping Uruguay
- Antidoping Singapore
- Chilean NADO Science Department
- Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
- Doping Authority Netherlands
- Drug Free Sport New Zealand
- Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports
- French Anti-Doping Agency
- Anti-Doping Office of Latvia
- National Anti Doping Agency of Germany
- National Anti-Doping Commission of Barbados
- Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority
- Republic of Bulgaria Anti-Doping Centre
- Sport Ireland Anti-Doping
- Sport Integrity Australia
- Spanish Commission for the Fight Against Doping in Sport
- Japan Anti-Doping Agency
- UK Anti-Doping
- U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
Other organizations that have already signed (sorted alphabetically)
1st Guiding Principle: Anti-doping focuses on protecting the rights, careers, health and safety of athletes, who are the main focus of anti-doping – the athletes’ voice should therefore be given a prominent position in anti-doping reflecting their importance and demonstrating respect for the burden of responsibilities they bear in the name of clean sport.
Therefore, athletes should have the right to elect their own representatives to representative bodies and be able to provide their feedback on all new developments in the governance and operational side of anti-doping. The Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act, including the “Recommended Athlete Rights” should be incorporated into the Code and made mandatory for all Code Signatories.
2nd Guiding Principle: Everyone in sport is entitled to a right to justice based, as a minimum standard, on the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Therefore, investigations should be objective with a view to ensure due process and hearings should be sufficiently transparent to ensure access to public scrutiny of the proceedings. Furthermore, transparency should be ensured in relation to publication of case law, selection of arbitrators and hearing panels, as well as to the financing of the proceedings, which should be fully operationally independent from the sports movement and anti-doping organisations. Proportionality should be embedded in all aspects of anti-doping with a view to ensure legitimacy of rules and measures and acceptance by those who are subject to them.
3rd Guiding Principle: Maximizing deterrence, targeted programmes, and athlete engagement is key to an effective approach to education and prevention programmes in antidoping.
Therefore, we welcome the new International Standard for Education and commit ourselves to ensure sport-specific education tailored to the sport and level of the athlete as part of a holistic approach to anti-doping. Educators delivering anti-doping education should demonstrate appropriate antidoping knowledge and teaching skills. Anti-doping organizations (ADOs) already have an obligation to ensure coordination and collaboration, and should furthermore ensure support to all relevant Signatories and other sports organisations to achieve successful education and prevention programmes.
4th Guiding Principle: Good governance in all Code Signatories, WADA and any other institution or organisation involved in anti-doping is a prerequisite for a reliable and trustworthy antidoping community.
Therefore, we welcome WADA’s “Guide for the Operational Independence of National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs)”, which should be strengthened and applied to all anti-doping activities. Anti-doping must be protected from undue influence from interests other than the protection of clean and honest sports. In order to avoid distrust and misunderstandings, transparency and broad involvement of perspectives should
be ensured in all decision-making processes, where it does not undermine the integrity of anti-doping activities. Conflicts of interests and loyalties should be avoided at all levels, and policies for handling such conflicts must be in place in all Signatories, WADA, and any other institution or organisation involved in anti-doping, with a view to ensure that decisions are in the best interest of anti-doping.
5th Guiding Principle: All actors in anti-doping must ensure excellence, responsibility, and transparency by implementing the highest standards of quality and innovation in an ambitious pursuit of clean and honest sport.
Therefore, Code Signatories and WADA should cooperate with each other and other stakeholders to avoid duplication of efforts within science, research and development. At the same time, Code Signatories and WADA should strive for quality by continuously improving themselves as well as developing, sharing and rapidly embracing new technologies, methods and approaches to anti-doping. Quality is about setting an ambitious lead but at the same time ensuring a level playing field by raising the minimum standard across all organisations involved in antidoping. Code Signatories should support each other in capacity building
and exchange of best practices.
6th Guiding Principle: Separation of powers with a clear division of the roles and responsibilities of the legislative, the executive and the judiciary functions, is a prerequisite for accountability between these functions.
Therefore, separation of powers through creating a system of internal checks and balances within the anti-doping community must be created, with a broad representative legislative power, as well as both executive and judicial powers which are separate, independent, impartial, apolitical and guarded from being controlled by political interests other than anti-doping and clean sports. At the same time, duplication of functions and double seating between the functions must be avoided.