Anti-doping
Target: Brazil wants to make sure that there are no doping cases until 2016
One of the federal government's main concerns is doping control in sport. Therefore, in 2007, Brazil became one of the first signatories of the International Convention against Doping in Sport, which was adopted by the 33rd UNESCO General Conference. From then on, the country started to take part in the international policy process for doping control and in the following year, a national bill was passed adopting the World Anti-Doping Code, drafted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
One of the requirements for Brazil to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games was for a national anti-doping organisation to be set up. Therefore, on 30 November 2011, President Dilma Rousseff signed Decree No 7,630, which created the Brazilian Doping Control Authority (ABCD).
Integrated to the Ministry of Sport, ABCD is one of the great legacies that the 2016 Games will leave behind for the country. The organisation is in charge of implementing the national doping prevention policy. Doping is an anti-ethical practice adopted by athletes who use banned substances and methods to enhance their athletic performance in and out of competition.
As a member of the National Sport Council (CNE), ABCD drafts and publicises the guidelines to be adopted in relation to banned substances and methods. As Brazil’s representative in relation to doping control, the organisation follows the rules established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
ABCD is also in charge of developing and coordinating programmes aimed at doping control and prevention in Brazilian sport. It also watches over the development of standardised control procedures, always in line with the World Anti-Doping Code.
The organisation also works in other scopes that make up the national anti-doping policy, through education, information, prevention, intelligence and action. Therefore, it works with all related doping control organisations, such as medical, education, physical education, chemistry schools and professionals, as well as sport organisations and federal bodies. ABCD’s efforts are aimed at ensuring that the Brazilian delegation arrives at the 2016 Games without a single case of doping.
Olympic commitment
ABCD is part of the commitments taken up by Brazil during their bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. On the occasion, the bid book submitted in 2009 also anticipated extension and improvement works to be done to the Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory (LBCD) at the Chemistry Institute of the Rio de Janeiro Federal University, WADA accredited in 2002.
In August 2013, LBCDs position as an accredited lab was revoked because it had reached the limit of points it is allowed in relation to the non-conformity of blind tests forwarded by WADA. This limit works similar to penalty points on driving licences.
However, a meeting was held with WADA in Montreal (Canada) in September the same year and a fast track solution was established so that the new LBCD might be able to be accredited by the second half of 2015. Therefore, the laboratory will be able to operate during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The reaccreditation process has been successfully completed. LBCD was reaccredited by WADA on 13 May, 2015. The announcement was made at the meeting of the entity’s Founding Board in Montreal in Canada, attended by the Minister of Sport George Hilton and the national secretary of ABCD Marco Aurelio Klein. The laboratory has become the 34th facility accredited by WADA and the second in South America (the other is in Bogota, Colombia).
The LBCD´s building was built with R$ 134 million in investments by the federal government. The Ministry of Sport provided R$ 106 million and the other R$ 28 million were paid for by the Ministry of Education. In addition, the Ministry of Sport invested another R$ 54 million in the purchase of equipment, materials and the lab’s operations.
