Bill grants World Anti-Doping Code legal force in India

It updates definitions, expands the list of anti-doping rule violations, and modifies the powers and procedures of the National Anti-Doping Agency.

Who it concerns: Athletes, athlete support personnel, other persons involved in doping control, the National Anti-Doping Agency, the Central Government, National Sports Federations, International Federations, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

What the bill does

• Inserts a new Section 2A stating that provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code listed in the Schedule have the force of law in India.
• Allows the Central Government to amend the Schedule via notification to match changes in the World Anti-Doping Code.
• Expands the definition of 'Anti-Doping Organisation' to include the World Anti-Doping Agency, International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, and National Anti-Doping Organisations.
• Adds definitions for 'marker', 'metabolite', and clarifies 'in-competition' and 'out-of-competition' periods.
• Replaces Section 4 to list specific acts constituting Anti-Doping Rule Violations, including trafficking, administration, complicity, and prohibited association.
• Mandates operational independence for the Director General and staff of the Agency from sports federations and government departments.
• Updates the Result Management process to require verification of Therapeutic Use Exemptions and laboratory standards before taking action.
• Allows appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for international-level athletes and events, and grants the World Anti-Doping Agency the right to appeal to CAS without exhausting other remedies in specific cases.
• Replaces references to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Also in the document

• The Bill explicitly grants the World Anti-Doping Code (as set out in the Schedule) the force of law in India.
• It introduces a mechanism for the Central Government to update the Schedule via notification, subject to being laid before Parliament.
• It defines the Court of Arbitration for Sport as an international body headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the purpose of appeals.