Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-14-Speech-4-016"
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"en.20050414.3.4-016"2
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"The EU Constitution refers to sport both as an important educational tool and as a means of fostering social cohesion and a healthy lifestyle. Doping puts the very essence of sport at risk, as it does away with the principle of equal chances and seriously violates the spirit of fair play; performance no longer reflects the quantity and quality of effort invested. Doping is dangerous for the competitors themselves; the literature reports several hundred fatalities. According to former IOC president Samaranch, doping is the death of sport. Dangerous performance-enhancing substances have made their appearance in the field of leisure sports and gyms too. Production, trade and consumption of these substances are now taking place on a massive scale; millions of people are affected and at risk.
Worldwide, the battle against doping is being waged at three levels: 1) prevention, information and education; 2) testing prior to, during and after competitions using the latest methods science has to offer; 3) imposing severe penalties or sanctions strong enough to act as a deterrent. The EU can participate in the first two areas of this broad-based, concerted effort to combat doping, given that punishing crime is not within the scope of our competences. Some countries have already passed legislation imposing severe penalties on doping akin to those for drug use.
For my part, I too recommend that we take an active role in cleaning up or, if you like, saving sport. Let us take the message of our Constitution seriously and cooperate more closely than hitherto with the WADA. At present, only 12 of the 25 EU countries have an accredited laboratory. Let us help enable the other 13 to obtain these valuable technical facilities. Let us set up a unified EU testing network to facilitate close cooperation, not only in the field of testing, but also in research in sports sciences. Let us not forget that sports science is already intensively studying a new form of doping that could prove even more dangerous than previous forms, namely genetic doping. I also recommend that the EU Ombudsman create a mechanism enabling European citizens to report any manufacture, trade or consumption of doping substances that they encounter."@en1
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