WADA and NADA: Institutional Framework around Doping

At international level, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been established in 1999 at Lausanne, Switzerland under the “Declaration of Lausanne” to coordinate, promote and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. Its headquarters are located at Montreal, Canada. At national level, many countries have their own anti-doping agencies. In India, such agency is called NADA {National Anti-doping Agency}.

WADA

WADA is an NGO and its aim is to harmonize anti-doping regulations in all sports and countries. It is collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It has released a World Anti-Doping Code, a document harmonizing anti-doping rules in all sports to be followed by all stakeholders in sports around the world.

Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS)

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA has an obligation to coordinate anti-doping activities and to provide a mechanism to assist stakeholders with their implementation of the Code. The Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS) was developed for this purpose.  Features & Functions of ADAMs are as follows:

1. Web Based Database Management System
2. Simplifies the daily activities of all stakeholders and athletes involved in the anti-doping system.
3. Ranges from athletes providing whereabouts information, to anti-doping organizations ordering tests, to laboratories reporting results, to anti-doping organizations managing results. It is easy to use, available in several languages, and free to WADA’s stakeholders, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the fight against doping in sport.

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organization of India to for promote, coordinate, and monitor the doping control programmes of sports of all forms in line with World Anti Doping Code in the country. It works under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, GOI. It was constituted under the Societies Registration Act in 2006 in the aftermath of 2004 Copenhagen Declaration on Doping in Sports to which India is a signatory.

Other than being a governing body, two separate panels and one committee mandated by WADA code 2009 rules also comes under its composition however NADA is independent of these panels and committees.

• Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel: Take decision and disciplinary action and scrutiny of sports persons for consuming prohibited drugs and methods.
• Anti Doping Appeal Panel: It’s like a court where convicted person can appeal against his allegations seeking remedy.
• TUE Committee: it stands for therapeutic Use Exemption Committeesas mandated by WADA where athletes and physicians are permitted to use for medical therapeutic purpose those substances which are mentioned in list of prohibited substances of methods.

Functions of NADA

• Adopting and implementing anti-doping rules and policies as per World Anti-Doping Code, WADA. The World Anti-Doping Code is the document that harmonizes regulations regarding anti-doping in sport across all sports and all countries of the world.
• Co-operating with other sports related organizations and other anti-doping organizations, encouraging reciprocal testing between National Anti-Doping Organisations.
• Promotes anti-doping research and education. The World Anti-Doping Agency annually updates the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. The list is the International Standard defining what is prohibited in-competition and out of competition. The list also indicates whether particular substances are banned in particular sports.
• NADA is responsible to implement an effective number of in-competition and out-of-competition tests on the athletes in its registered testing pool of international and national level athletes being tested by NADA and may include blood as well as urine collection.
• Develops a test distribution plan and allocates the number of samples for each sport or discipline required for effective deterrence. The plan includes out-of-competition testing, in-competition testing, and.
• Withholding funding during any period of involvement in sports for persons who are found guilty for violating ant doping rules, and investigation of any such violations also comes under NADA’s functionality and jurisdiction.

Difference between WADA and NADA:

The following tables make a comparison between NADA and WADA