2024-08-03 23:28:42
Speaking on this occasion, the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, stressed that the development of this law is part of the measures taken to ensure an appropriate framework for achieving national strategic objectives for sport, which draw their fundamental pillars from the High Royal Guidelines, the new development model, the government plan and the Kingdom’s international commitments inherent to sport.
According to the minister, this law also comes in the wake of the challenges of the sports development project and its repercussions on the development of the Kingdom and its regional and international influence. It is also part of the objective of ensuring the implementation of an integrated policy guaranteeing the cohesion and transversality of all stakeholders in the field of sport, in addition to continuing the action to fight against doping in the sports field in Morocco through the strengthening of prevention mechanisms.
The text of the law also comes in response to the recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in particular those related to the need to harmonize the provisions of the current law with the World Anti-Doping Code and to strengthen the independence of the various bodies of the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency (AMAD), he continued.
He stressed, in this sense, that this bill aims to update the provisions relating to doping control operations, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code, in particular with regard to the methods of carrying out control operations, the persons authorized to carry them out and the conditions for granting authorizations for the use for therapeutic purposes of prohibited substances or methods.
According to the minister, this legislative text also aims to broaden the base of laboratories authorized to analyze biological samples in the field of anti-doping to include laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and to review the sanctions repressing doping offenses by referring to the sanctions stipulated in the World Anti-Doping Code.
The bill also stipulates a review of criminal offences in the fight against doping, as well as the strengthening of the governance of AMAD by developing its skills, in line with new developments in this field, added the government official.
In this sense, the position of Secretary General of AMAD will be created, with its mission being set to administrative management, in addition to reducing the number of regular meetings of the Agency’s Board of Directors to two meetings per year, while working towards the establishment of a commission for authorizations for use for therapeutic purposes.
Furthermore, Mr. Benmoussa stressed that the bill also concerns the strengthening of the independence of the disciplinary bodies of the AMAD by separating them from the other bodies of the Agency, while ensuring to review their composition and their competences, according to the rules defined in the World Anti-Doping Code.
The minister added that doping is one of the most important challenges facing sports stakeholders locally and internationally, stressing that this scourge, which causes physical, psychological and financial damage, goes against the values of sport which are based on the principle of equal opportunities, integrity and healthy competition between athletes.
2024-08-03 23:28:42