The evolution of European legislation on doping: new challenges in the age of NPS

The fight against doping in sport, formally started in 1960 with the constitution of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and culminated in 1999 with the birth of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), commissioned to chair various activities, including the publica- tion of the annual list of prohibited substances and methods for doping.In Europe, as early as 1967, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution to stigmatise the intake of substanc- es foreign to the body for the sole purpose of ar- tificially and unfairly influencing sports perfor- mance. In 2002, the Council of Europe adopted an Additional Protocol to the 1989 Strasbourg Convention against Doping to ensure mutual recognition of doping controls and to strength- en the enforcement of the Convention.In Italy, the Law of 14 December 2000 n. 376 Discipline of the health protection of sports ac- tivities and the fight against doping, defines doping as the administration or intake of drugs or biologically or pharmacologically active sub- stances and the adoption or submission to med- ical practices not justified by pathological condi- tions and suitable to modify the psychophysical or biological conditions of the organism in order to alter the athletic performance of athletes. The same law regulates the use of drugs or biologi- cally or pharmacologically active substances and update an annual list in agreement with WADA. The article aims to analyse the legislation from a national perspective, offering as complete a view as possible of the current situation.

Automated summary

This article discusses the international and national legislations and organizations related to the fight against doping. It focuses on the International Olympic Committee, World Anti-Doping Agency, and the law in Italy. Through these legislations and organizations, efforts are being made globally and nationally to combat doping in sports.