The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe announced, on Monday 25 April, the unanimous adoption of a Recommendation aimed at strengthening respect for human rights in anti-doping procedures in sport.
Based on Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (‘Right to a fair trial’), this Recommendation sets out essential principles such as the independence of investigations and the competent courts, the presumption of innocence, the right to be heard, the right to an effective defence, the right to a public hearing and the need to make decisions public.
All this while respecting the privacy of the athletes and their reputation as well as the confidentiality of medical information.
This text builds on the work carried out by the Council of Europe’s Anti-Doping Committee, taking into account the relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the World Anti-doping code.
“This Recommendation will further strengthen the public confidence in sports’ justice”, said Anders Solheim, Chair of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts, while Bjørn Berge, the organisation’s deputy secretary-general, stressed the importance of “effective cooperation between governments and sports organisations” to “ensure a progressive implementation” of the text. The aim is “improving the system in order to secure the principle of separation of powers, while respecting the autonomy and self-governance of sports federations”.
With a first resolution adopted in 1967, the Council of Europe is a pioneer in the fight against doping.
The adoption of this Recommendation at the level of its executive is a sign of the importance it continues to attach to this issue.
Link to the Recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/1cm (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)