AVOID DOPING – SYDNEY WARNS ATHLETES

MBABANE – The Eswatini anti-doping rules will be forcefully made effective come January 1, 2021.

Following the anti-doping workshop that was held in March at Thokoza in Mbabane, the anti-doping task team engaged in a recap workshop yesterday at the Eswatini Commonwealth and Olympic Games Association (EOCGA) offices. These Anti-Doping Rules are adopted and implemented in accordance with Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association’s (EOCGA) responsibilities under the code, and in furtherance of EOCGA’s continuing efforts to eradicate doping in sport in Eswatini. These anti-doping rules are sport rules governing the conditions under which sport is played. Aimed at enforcing anti-doping rules in a global and harmonised manner, they are distinct in nature from criminal and civil laws.

Applicable

They are not intended to be subject to or limited by any national requirements and legal standards applicable to criminal or civil proceedings, although they are intended to be applied in a manner which respects the principles of proportionality and human rights. The task team had a review on the issues that were discussed during the initial anti-doping workshop. They delivered a feedback on what they were tasked to do, which includes educating athletes on the national anti-doping code, bearing in mind that come January 1, 2020, the anti-doping rules would be effective by force. Then the team also recapped on the anti-doping online courses and how to access them. All this was in alignment with the World Anti-doping Organisation (WADO), which every nation must have.

EOCGA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sydney Simelane advised athletes to research on the anti-doping code and be acquainted with the type of substances and even food that they needed to shy away from to avoid being caught on the wrong side of the law, thus risking their careers as sportsmen. Simelane said this bearing in mind the temptations that come with festive celebrations and indulgences that contravene this code. Article 2.1.1 of the Eswatini Anti-doping Rules 2020/2021 states it clearly that it is the athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters their bodies. Athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance, metabolites or markers found to be present in their samples.

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