SAFEGUARDING FAIR SPORTS

News about doping scandals are shaking the modern sport world. Investigations have so far resulted in the cancellation of results for several sports at the Olympics in Beijing and London, while the participation of the entire Russian team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea is in question. Azerbaijani athletes also lost several Olympic awards; the national weightlifting team has been disqualified for a year.

National Anti-Doping Agency, independent organization established in Azerbaijan upon the request of international sports organizations, aims at determining the cases of doping misuse and taking proactive measures. The agency is responsible for doping control of athletes, medical examinations, testing, dealing with doping-related complaints of athletes. In the future, it is planned to establish appeals councils and arbitration departments of the agency. We have interviewed the director of the newly established National Anti-Doping Agency, Shafag Huseynli.

What the National Anti-Doping Agency of Azerbaijan has done in such a short term?

Our agency (AMADA) was established on December 23, 2016 in accordance with a presidential decree from December 14, 2016 to implement the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan On Combating the Use of Doping Means and Methods in Sport. From the very first day of its establishment, AMADA has begun to change the situation in the country's anti-doping area in line with international standards. This is the creation and implementation of a national anti-doping program, the training and accreditation of doping control inspectors, the identification and prosecution of anti-doping rule violations, the conclusion of cooperation agreements with international federations and other anti-doping organizations, the signing of memorandums on cooperation with sports federations of the republic, doping tests for passing on the territory of the country international competitions, the organization of educational and training seminars with athletes and their supporters in different federations. Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead.

Do you think it was necessary to establish the agency?

This is a support for the development of conditions in Azerbaijan for healthy sports competition. The mission of AMADA is not only to test, but also to protect the rights of honest athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency, together with the International Olympic Committee and other international federations, strongly motivate us to expand the scope of anti-doping activities and sanctions. Thus, it was absolutely necessary to create an institution for the development of fair sport in our country in compliance with international standards.

How many athletes have been tested since the agency was established?

We have conducted 301 doping tests so far - 210 and 91 tests out and during competitions, respectively. We have conducted yet another 205 doping tests at the request of international federations (167 and 38, respectively).

In which sports do you control athletes, and on which of them are you negotiating cooperation?

AMADA mostly controls Olympic sports. In general, we have signed memorandums of cooperation with twenty-three sports federations of Azerbaijan. The negotiation process is ongoing.

Do you test the samples in Azerbaijan or send them abroad?

We send the samples taken from our athletes to the laboratory of the Institute of Biochemistry - German Sport University Cologne accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency in the German city of Cologne.

Which types of sport require more attention in terms of doping control?

According to our research, the top three types of sports heavily violating doping control rules are weightlifting, wrestling and boxing. However, the list is not limited to these sports only and you have to be equally attentive in judo, rowing, athletics, cycling and other sports.

In recent years, Azerbaijani athletes have become named in numerous scandals. One of them was the wrestler Vitaly Rahimov, followed by other members of the national weightlifting team... Can your organization help to protect the rights of our athletes?

One of our activities is to protect the rights of honest athletes. If doping test is positive, this means that the athlete has violated anti-doping rules and is personally responsible. Nevertheless, AMADA conducts educational work to familiarize our athletes with procedural rules, international standards and other issues requiring attention. We are always ready to answer questions.

Is it right to test the B test ten years after the athlete's performance? Imagine, the athlete becomes a champion, and after ten years, he undergoes the second test and gets completely different results. But his previous achievements are put in question…

The establishment of time limits for anti-doping rule violations is contrary to fair play. If an athlete has won a gold medal even ten years ago, and later in his sample was found doping, this means that the real owner of the gold medal is the athlete running the second. But this is unfair.

How many substances are available on the doping list? When do the athletes need to be careful when taking medicines?

The list of prohibited substances consists of three sections. These include the substances prohibited for use during competitions and banned in certain sports. Each section on the list is divided into several categories. Unapproved substances (S0), anabolic agents (S1), peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics (S2), beta-2-agonists (S3), hormone metabolic modulators ( S4), diuretics and concealing substances (S5), manipulation of blood and blood components (M1), chemical and physical manipulation (M2), gene dope (M3). The substances forbidden during competitions include stimulants (S6), drugs (S7), cannabinoids (S8) and glucocorticoids (S9), and beta-2-bolators (P1) forbidden in certain sports. Before taking any drugs, it is necessary to know the contents indicated on the package and to be careful with drugs presented under a "blend", "mix" or any other word meaning mixed composition. One also needs to be careful with medicines having suffixes -diol, -stene. This includes drugs for increasing muscle mass, sexual activity and energetics.

Is there a doping control in football? Which of the Azerbaijani players have you checked so far?

In football, as in other sports, there are also tests for doping. We have conducted thirty-four tests so far: 23 during five football matches, 11 - out of competition.

We plan to double the number of doping tests, to switch to electronic testing, to be in line with green office standards establishing environmentally friendly environment, to double the number of educational seminars and trainings, to participate actively in working groups on anti-doping agency projects developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and to protect fair sports and the rights of honest athletes.