ANTI-DOPING CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERS PROGRAMME CONCLUDED.

The Second part of the National Capacity Building and Awareness towards the establishment of an independent National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) to enhance effective implementation of the WADA Code and increase compliance to the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport in Zambia was concluded this afternoon.

A team of about 30 people drawn from strategic partner institutions such as the Ministry of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) among others attended the capacity development and orientation programme which was aimed at bringing awareness and understanding of the roles of the strategic partners in anti-doping to increase levels of compliance to the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport in the country.

Speaking when giving his closing remarks, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts Director of Sport John Zulu said that Government wants to see the issue of anti-doping elevated on the National Sport Development Agenda.

He further went on to say that this subject cannot be ignored because it has huge consequences which makes it very a critical focus for everyone in charge of Sports Policy oversight in the Country.

“What is of essence is for us to have our own NADO as Zambia and this meeting has shown that we are on the right path and we have to remember that this is just one of the many steps we need to ensure are taken,” he added.

L-R: NOCZ President Alfred Foloko, SAIDS General Manager Fahmy Galant, MYSA Director of Sport John Zulu and SAIDS CEO Khalid Galant

Meanwhile, NOCZ President Alfred Foloko thanked everyone present for showing up and recognised the importance of having strategic personnel from partner institutions available for this important undertaking.

“NOCZ can not run away from True and Clean Sport and Zambia as a country is equal to the task of ensuring that a NADO is put in place as soon as possible after completing all the necessary steps,” he said.

He added saying that NOCZ will take advantage and leverage the available networks by engaging colleagues from other countries that are leading in this space and tap into every resource out there that will help Zambia establish its own independent NADO.

Khalid Galant and Fahmy Galant from the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) facilitated the two-day workshop whose focus was on creating an informed pool of stakeholders in the establishment of an independent NADO; agreeing on the roles among players on the need to have a working independent NADO; enhance understanding of the modalities required to maintain an independent NADO; increase understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in an independent NADO, and agreeing on the next steps in the operations of an Independent NADO.

Part 2 of the UNESCO funded programme being spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth Sport and Art in collaboration with the National Sports Council of Zambia and the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) which is currently the de facto NADO comes after the Anti-doping Awareness Programme for National Sports Federations/Associations was held 2-weeks ago.

The next step is the drafting of the national anti-doping legislation and once enacted, it will enhance the operationalization of the independent NADO.