The Government approves the modification of the regulations for the development of the Anti-Doping Law

At this Monday’s meeting, the Council of Ministers approved the development modification of the Anti-Doping Law, a reform that is part of the review process of this regulation initiated by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports in January 2024.

According to a statement, the new wording will facilitate the State Agency of the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sports (CELAD) in the exercise of its administrative powers, “guaranteeing the best interpretation of the rule by athletes and other people.” involved”.

The new text responds to the international commitments assumed by Spain in the fight against doping, aligning Spanish regulations with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code, in line with the text of Organic Law 11/2021, of December 28, and with the rest of the World Anti-Doping Programme, made up of both the World Code and international standards.

Firstly, the reform presents new developments in relation to Therapeutic Use Authorizations (AUT). Thus, the system for designating and replacing members of the Therapeutic Use Authorizations Committee is modified and a maximum period of 15 business days is established to register the request for a TUE and the exceptional nature of retroactive Therapeutic Use Authorizations is highlighted. .

The new wording also includes improvements in the doping control process, detailing, according to the text, with greater precision the characteristics of the Registered Control Group and the Control Group, as well as the information to be provided to facilitate the location of athletes.

Likewise, the possibility of individually assessing the situation of athletes who return to sports practice after a period of withdrawal for reasons such as pregnancy or maternity is now contemplated and the prohibition on the use of mobile devices in doping control areas is relaxed so that These can be used in an emergency.

There are also modifications in the process of enabling Control Agents, delimiting it. Likewise, special measures and guarantees are included for cases in which the athlete is a minor. “For the renewal of authorizations, exceptions are contemplated for participation in sample collection activities during the period of validity of the accreditation, if there is justified cause derived from situations of temporary disability, leave for birth or care of a minor, parental leave, breastfeeding , or for the care of dependent family members,” the statement added.

With the reform, the management of the biological passport (PBD) and the procedure for managing adverse results in the PBD are simplified and references to the two international standards that apply to it are included: the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM). ) and the International Standard for Controls and Investigations (ISTI).

Regarding the fight against doping, the statement highlights that the implementation of a Corrective Measures Plan has allowed in absolute terms in recent months to increase the number of controls in 33 sports and go from having 37 sports controlled in 2023 to 52 in 2024. In addition, the percentage of out-of-competition controls has increased from 47% in 2023 to 52.1% in 2024, complying with the recommendations international.

“During the first four months of 2025, CELAD plans to implement its new anti-doping program. In addition, next year the updating of the regulatory framework will continue with the approval of two ministerial orders – lower in rank than the Royal Decree – that will establish, respectively, the mandatory communication by electronic means and the minimum qualification requirements of doping control agents in cases in which the collection of samples corresponds to the athlete himself,” they reported.

Finally, the Council of Ministers also approved this Monday the payment of the contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which in 2024 amounts to 661,098.52 euros.