1 August 2005

Sports Anti-doping Bill introduced

Minister for Sport and Recreation Trevor Mallard introduced the Sports Anti-Doping Bill to Parliament today, signalling New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to wiping-out doping in sport.

"This legislation demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to fair play in sport by helping to ensure that our athletes are able to compete in a drug-free environment," Trevor Mallard said.

“This is a huge achievement that seeks to preserve the intrinsic values of sport - honesty, ethics, courage, and fairness.

“As a country, we should feel incredibly proud that New Zealand is leading the fight against the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in order to maintain a level playing field for all athletes."

New Zealand has been at the forefront of the fight against doping, both as a founding member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and at an national level through the work of the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency and Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC).

The purpose of the Sports Anti-Doping legislation is to give effect to the World Anti-Doping Code, which seeks to protect an athlete’s fundamental right to participate in drug-free sport. It also aims to ensure harmonised, co-ordinated and effective anti-doping programmes at an international and national level with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping.

WADA expects all member nations to be compliant with the Code by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. New Zealand will be at the forefront of this commitment with the passage of the legislation and the adoption of the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport in October 2005.

The legislation will be referred to select committee after the election and is expected to be passed by the end of the year, or early next year.

ENDS

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