Morocco: Upper House Unanimously Approves Bill to Combat Doping in Sport

Rabat — The House of Advisors unanimously approved, at a legislative session held on Tuesday, bill no. 06.23 amending and supplementing law no. 97.12 on the fight against doping in sport.

Presenting this text, Minister of National Education, Preschool Learning and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, affirmed that the government is determined to redouble its efforts to rehabilitate and modernize sports legislation, and to promote reforms aimed at bringing about a qualitative change in the working methods and mechanisms of national sports organizations, noting that doping is considered to be one of the most important challenges facing sports players at local and international level, given that this scourge is incompatible with sporting ethics.

Emphasizing the importance of the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency (AMAD), Benmoussa stressed “the Kingdom of Morocco’s commitment to improving sporting practice, by strengthening support for athletes, federations, leagues and sports associations in order to help preserve Morocco’s image in national and international competitions and the reputation of athletes”.

He underlined that the bill was part of ongoing efforts to combat doping in sport in Morocco, through strengthening prevention mechanisms. It is also in line with the recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in particular those relating to the need to harmonize the provisions of the current law with the World Anti-Doping Code and to reinforce the independence of AMAD’s bodies.

The bill is meant to “update the requirements for doping control operations, in line with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code, particularly with regard to the procedures for conducting control operations, the persons authorized to carry them out, and the conditions for granting therapeutic use exemptions for prohibited substances or methods”, according to the government official.

The legislative text also aims to broaden the base of laboratories authorized to analyze biological samples in the anti-doping field to include laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and to review sanctions for doping offences with reference to those stipulated in the World Anti-Doping Code.