Pooja Gautam, Assistant Professor, School of Law, UPES
INTRODUCTION
Doping, in its simplest form, refers to the use of banned chemicals by athletes to enhance their strength, stamina, and overall performance. India joined the international movement against doping in sports in 2007 when it ratified the "UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sports."2 It is a requirement of the Convention that all signatory states commit to assisting the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)3 in its efforts to eradicate doping around the globe. With the goal of creating, harmonising, and coordinating anti-doping policies across all sports and countries, the International Olympic Committee established the WADA in November 1999. WADA requires every member country to have its own ‘National Anti-doping Agency’ (NADA) for enforcing the anti-doping rules.
To implement the convention and, by extension, WADA, the Indian government established the National Doping Testing Laboratory (NDTL)4 in 2008 and the National Anti-Doping Authority (NADA)5 in 2009 as registered societies under the Societies Registration Act 1860. The NADA's primary mission is to monitor and punish violators of the World Anti-Doping Code's anti-doping rules6 through the implementation of doping control programmes and the administration of dope tests. However, a robust anti-doping law was required for a country that has ranked third on the global list of drug offenders in recent years. Moreover, the Standing Committee on Sports (2021) noted that anti-doping rules are not underpinned by legislation and are subject to legal challenge. It recommended the Department of Sports introduce anti- doping laws.
