Combating doping in recreational sport

EU Member States are working on combating the growing problem of doping in recreational sport through various initiatives.

ACT

Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 10 May 2012 on combating doping in recreational sport (2012/C 169/03)

SUMMARY

EU Member States have agreed to work on combating doping in recreational sport by taking various initiatives.

Doping is a growing problem in recreational sport, competitive amateur sport, fitness centres and even beyond the sporting sphere. In recreational sport, the primary aim of anti-doping measures is to safeguard the health of the exercising population and the integrity of recreational sport environments

EU Member States recognise that doping in recreational sport and recreational sport environments such as fitness centres is a problem across the EU which affects young people in particular and poses a threat to the health of individual doping users and to people in the doping users’ immediate environment.

They also note that doping harms the integrity of recreational sports and is linked to negative social phenomena such as the illegal trafficking of doping substances.

There is limited knowledge of doping in recreational sport at the EU and international level.

Initiatives agreed by EU Member States include:

• the development of educational programmes, information campaigns or other preventive measures regarding doping in recreational sport;
• close cooperation between public authorities, the sports movement and the fitness sector on developing joint projects, guidelines and regulations;
• a framework of effective and appropriate national measures for the investigation and sanctioning of the production, trafficking, distribution and possession of doping substances in recreational sport.

EU Member States have given an EU Expert Group on Anti-Doping the task of collecting best practices in the fight against doping in recreational sport in EU Member States, among other things in relation to prevention, education, control and related measures as well as recovery from substance abuse. The expert group is working on producing a set of recommendations on combating doping in recreational sport that can be applied at both EU and national level.

EU Member States also asked the European Commission to begin a study in order to develop an evidence base for policies designed to combat doping in recreational sport, including through information gathering on the use of doping substances in recreational sport in EU Member States.

They asked the European Commission to promote and support the sharing of best practices in this area and suggested the following areas:

• education, information and public awareness raising;
• testing for doping substances in recreational sport;
• treatment and recovery from abuse of doping in recreational sport;
• labelling and controlling content in nutritional supplements in order to avoid inadvertent intake of doping substances;
• legislative measures that have proven effective at tackling doping in recreational sports in individual EU Member States.

Last updated: 04.02.2014