House of Representatives Adopts Government Bill on Combatting Doping in Sports

The House of Representatives adopted, on Monday, December 25, 2023, with a majority of votes, Government Bill 06.23 amending and supplementing Law 97.12 on combatting doping in sports. The adoption took place during a legislative plenary sitting chaired by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, in the presence of the Minister of National Education, Elementary Schooling, and Sports, Mr. Chakib Benmoussa, and the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in Charge of Relations with the Parliament and Government Spokesperson, Mr. Mustapha Baïtas.

The Bill falls under the scope of adapting the national legal arsenal with the measures taken to provide the most appropriate framework for achieving the strategic goals in national sports in a way that the arsenal is adapted to ensure its effective contribution to combatting doping in sports in Morocco and guarantee its harmony with the recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency, particularly the ones regarding the imperative of adapting Law 97.12 with the World Anti-Doping Code and consolidating the independence of the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency bodies.

The text aims to achieve several goals, including the updating of the provisions linked to controlling doping, in harmony with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code, particularly as regards the methods of conducting the control procedure, the people qualified for such a mission, and the approval of licenses to use prohibited drugs and means for treatments.

The Bill also aims to expand the scope of the laboratories entitled to analyze and examine biological samples in the area of combatting doping so that it encompasses the laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Besides, it also stipulates revising the disciplinary sanctions imposed on sports practitioners and entities by referring to the ones outlined in the World Anti-Doping Code. The text also seeks to reinforce the governance of the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency by advancing its competencies in line with the developments of the field.

Moreover, the Bill intends to consolidate the independence of the disciplinary bodies of the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency through separating them from the other Agency's bodies, transforming them into an independent body, and reviewing their formation and prerogatives according to the rules set in the World Anti-Doping Code.