On Tuesday, 6 July, the Saeima adopted in the second and final reading urgent amendments to the Sports Law, supplementing the regulation in the field of anti-doping and adopting the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The amendments secure the competence of the Anti-Doping Bureau of Latvia to prepare and approve the annual doping control test plan and the annual register of athletes to be tested, as well as compile other registers containing information for the purpose of planning and performing doping control tests, including the location of the athletes.

The amendments also specify the rights of the Anti-Doping Bureau of Latvia in case of an anti-doping rule violation. Until now, the Bureau had the right to suspend an athlete from participating in sports competitions, but the suspension did not apply to other activities in the field of sports, such as coaching or participating in sports events. The regulation is now supplemented with the right to suspend athletes from carrying out the duties of a sports staff  or from taking up any other activities in the field of sports, except for individual physical activity and participation in educational of rehabilitation programmes approved by the Bureau.

According to the amendments, upon discovering an anti-doping rule violation, the Anti-Doping Bureau of Latvia will be able to reach an agreement with the athlete or sports staff in question on the recognition of the violation and acceptance of the sanctions. Until now, the law stipulated that, upon determining an anti-doping rule violation, the Bureau had to reach out to the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Commission, which then decided on further action and sanctions to be applied.

The amendments will significantly decrease the cost of operation of the Commission in cases where athletes or sports staff do not show any interest in the established violation of anti-doping rules, and will provide an opportunity to reach an agreement with the athletes and sports staff regarding sanctions without the involvement of the Commission. This will save financial resources, as well as time. As stated in the summary of the Draft Law, the resources saved will be available for educating the public on anti-doping matters.

The amendments also cover the issue of suspension appeals, as well as other matters related to the competence of the Anti-Doping Bureau of Latvia.

The amendments to the Sports Law will enter into force on the day following their promulgation.

Saeima Press Service