Anti-doping Developments

UK Sport, the national anti-doping organisation, has announced that it intends to fund an independent doping panel which will hear cases against athletes and sportspersons on behalf of sports governing bodies.

The plans come on the back of concerns that UK Sport suffers from a lack of independence given that it currently operates a twin role by implementing and managing the UK's anti-doping policy.

The independent panel will be established to interpret and apply the new national anti-doping policy which will be updated to reflect the awaited revisions to the World Anti-Doping Code expected later this year.

Meanwhile, UK Sport and the British Olympic Association are at loggerheads over the announcement that a separate anti-doping commission has been set up, to be run by the BOA, which is tasked with evaluating legislative needs in the context of anti-doping in the build up to the 2012 Olympic Games. UK Sport believes that the proposal duplicates the work that it currently undertakes.

The UK Government remains sceptical of the need to legislate for doping offences, despite a number of European countries recently implementing new laws. Germany passed its first anti-doping law in July, making it illegal to possess or distribute performance-enhancing drugs. Manufacturers, dealers and consumers of prohibited substances, including professional athletes, could face up to ten years imprisonment, with the German federal police taking responsibility for enforcement.

The UK Government remains convinced that the World Anti-Doping Code produced by the World Anti-Doping Authority operates effectively and that any legislative reform would be disproportionate but has nevertheless given the BOA the green light to investigate further.