EU highlights fight against doping in recreational sport

The Council of the European Union encourages member states to place more emphasis on the fight against doping in the recreational sports sector.

In a meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council last week, the Council agreed that knowledge about doping in recreational sports is limited, and while the international cooperation in the fight against doping in elite sports is well developed, cooperation with regards to doping in recreational sports has so far been limited. 

The Council therefore encourages its member states to contribute to the developing of national educational programmes and campaigns against doping, promote a closer cooperation between public authorities and the sports movements and to make sure that there is a framework with appropriate measures for investigation and sanction of doping users in recreational sports on a national level.

In its press release, the Council also argues that closer cooperation and more effective information sharing between national and international authorities dealing with different aspects of doping in recreational sport is important, and encourages support of WADA’s cooperation with relevant international stakeholders such as Europol, Interpol, World Customs Organisation and the pharmaceutical industry.

In order to extend the focus on doping within the recreational sports sector, an EU Expert Group on Anti-Doping will collect best practices in the fight against doping in recreational sport with regards to prevention, education and control. The goal is to be able to present by the end of 2013 a set of recommendations on combatting doping in recreational sports that can be applied on both an EU and national level.

Read the press release