PORTUGAL: EU warns states over implementing anti-doping laws

European Union sports ministers agree that European countries who do not sign up to anti-doping laws by the end of 2008 should not be allowed to bid for major international sports events and slam Lamour over his WADA withdrawal. European Union sports ministers met in Lisbon on Thursday (October 25) for an Informal meeting that concentrated on the approach to Sports' "White Paper", an initiative of the European Conference Commission, which represents a vision of sports in Europe. The «White Paper» is believed to be a fundamental instrument in the preparation of an action programme for sports on a European level, as well as in the encouragement of a debate and the stressing of sports' visibility in the definition of community policies, with special emphasis to its merits and specificities. Portugal, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc, chaired the meeting. Another issue that was under discussion was the fight against doping. European countries who do not sign up to anti-doping laws by the end of 2008 should not be allowed to bid for major international sports events such as the Olympics, European Union sports ministers agreed. A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report in April said 23 European states had still not signed up to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation convention. That agreement, adopted in November 2005, made it mandatory for governments to pass the necessary legislation to implement WADA's measures encapsulated in the World Anti-Doping Code. Among the nations that failed to sign up to the laws in April's WADA report were Italy, Belgium and Ireland, who are hoping to bid for various international events such as soccer's World Cup and top European soccer finals. Until now, many governments could not be legally bound by a non-governmental document such as the World Anti-Doping Code, which harmonises regulations for all sports and countries and will be reviewed by WADA at a meeting in Madrid next month. Sports organisations see the implementation of the UNESCO convention a key factor if the fight against doping in sports. "We have been a very strong group working towards UNESCO convention and still we do not have enough ratifications after two years back at home, so I wouldn't dream about to much other work than implementation of what we have already agreed to do, and of course enlarging or extrapolating good results, good practices, best practices towards or through international domain and especially under WADA," European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel said at the meeting. European Union sports ministers criticised Frenchman Jean-Francois Lamour over his decision to withdraw from the race to become president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The 27 ministers also failed to give their backing to Australia's John Fahey who is now the only candidate for the top anti-doping post, due to be voted on next month. Last week former French sports minister Lamour quit his post as vice-president of WADA and ruled himself out of the running for WADA's top job, angrily accusing the organisation of failing to do its job properly. He had been the leading candidate to succeed Dick Pound as president until the late candidacy of Fahey, with the Australian government saying he will be elected on Nov. 17 in Madrid as no other candidate has emerged in time for the ballot. According to Silva Pereira, however, EU governments have not yet agreed to back Fahey for the post. "We are all aware at the moment that there is a new candidacy that has been put forward, at this point European Union members have not yet expressed if they will support this candidacy," said Pereira.

ITN Source | October 26, 2007

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