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Date : 17/10/2006
Source: Sport and Recreation South Africa
Title: Oosthuizen: South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Amendment Bill


Speech by the Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, G Oosthuizen, in the National Assembly (NA), during the debate on the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Amendment Bill

Madam Speaker
Honourable Members of Parliament

The South African Institute for Drug-free Sport Amendment Bill comes at a very important time. A time where there is a global fight against doping in sport, a fight aimed at promoting the values of fair play and honesty in sport.

About four months ago, this House passed a resolution for our country to ratify the international convention against doping in sport. This United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) driven initiative is based on the World Anti-Doping Code, which was drafted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). One of the principal functions of the Bill before the House is to align the existing act with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code and its International standards. Let me point out that non-compliance would result in South Africa being refused participation in international sport, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I know of no South African who would like this to happen, yet we read and hear on a regular basis how some of the top sports people in the world, some of them world record holders, are being tested positive for using performance enhancing substances. Only yesterday we heard of two top cricket bowlers in Pakistan, Shoaib Aktar and Mohammad Assif, who tested positive. This is sad, because doping undermines the spirit of fair play and discipline in sport.

Our own country has not escaped the scourge of doping. We read of our own heroes (Hezekiel Sepeng) who have fallen foul of doping offences. A few weeks ago the leading article on the front page of Rapport read, “Skolesport skande” referring to doping amongst schoolboy rugby players.

The article described how parents buy the banned substances for their children so that they can be selected for the provincial schools teams with the hope of getting a contract with one of the senior provincial unions. Carte Blanche did an expose on their programme on 24 September where young people, many of them still at school, admitted to using steroids and revealed that the practice was widespread in some schools.

One does not need to be a rocket scientist to determine the reason why top sportspeople resort to doping, which is nothing but cheating to achieve success - money! What is shocking is that this greed for money leads people to totally disregard the long-term consequences of such behaviour.

We all have a responsibility to ensure that the true values and virtues of sport is protected and preserved. I am sure I do not have to stand here today to expound on the good of sport. Unfortunately there is also the ugly part of sport and this Bill aims to reinforce our commitment to clean up sport and to ensure fair play.

Section ten of the Bill compels the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) to:
1. establish a doping control programme in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code
2. ensure that national federations adopt and implement anti-doping policies and rules which conform with the Code and with the Policy and Rules of the Institute
3. ensure the ongoing presence and maintenance of a WADA-accredited laboratory in South Africa (Bloemfontein)
4. ensure that while the Institute may co-operate with Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Commission (SASCOC) as needed, it shall operate independently as required by the World Anti-Doping Code.

SAIDS, a public entity associated with SRSA, will have to be sufficiently funded to re-double its efforts aimed at counteracting this unwelcome tendency of doping. The testing programme of SAIDS, their anti-doping advocacy and education campaign will have to be intensified to achieve the required success.

It is our opinion that doping in sport is not dissimilar to recreational substance abuse. Our campaigns in sport to fight the scourge of doping can also serve to address drug abuse in our society. In this campaign, we should use our sports heroes and role models. They must not only be vocal on the topic of anti-doping and drug abuse; they should be the heroes, the champions who set the example. I know we can rely on them to assist us in this drive against doping.

If and when we identify the real culprits of doping in sport, we must act decisively against them. It is here, where we call on the federations to comply with the Act. Failure to comply by federations will result in punitive measures by SRSA. Section 17A makes provision for investigating and dealing with national sport federations that do not comply with Act. The section is clear, action by SRSA may include:
1. withdrawal of Government funding
2. banning such federations from administrating sport
3. recommending that SASCOC withhold the awarding of national colours to members of the federation.

While the Act provides for this, I am convinced it will never be necessary to use it because our Federations have always supported measures aimed at promoting the values of fair play. We thank the federations in advance for their unqualified support in this regard.

Madame Speaker, South Africa continues to play a central role in the fight against doping in sport internationally and on the African continent. We represent Africa on both the Executive and Foundation Boards of the WADA of which Minister Stofile is a member. We host the African Regional Office of the WADA in Cape Town, something that we are very proud of.

While it is important to be vigilant about doping practices in sport it is equally important that we, on the other hand, increase our support to athletes to enable them to perform to the best of their ability without using drugs. Many of our athletes are currently in a National Academy Programme funded by government and co-ordinated by SASCOC where they attend camps in preparation for the All Africa Games in 2007 and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

At these camps, the athletes and coaches receive the necessary scientific and medical support that will help them achieve their optimum potential. Our ultimate objective is, to place our athletes and teams in residential long-term athlete development programmes in cycles of four years.

To this end, we hope and trust that it will be within our means as Government to shortly announce an Athletes Assistance Programme where our top athletes as well as those with the best potential will be financially supported on a monthly basis.

Madame Speaker, the intention of Government, by introducing this Bill is clear; we want our athletes to excel in a doping free environment. We therefore ask the support of this House in achieving this objective.

Thank you.

Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
17 October 2006

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