Nyon hosts annual seminar of UEFA's doping control officers

PanARMENIAN.Net - UEFA's doping control officers (DCOs) have met at the House of European Football in Nyon for the annual seminar which looks at their vital role in the ongoing fight against drug-taking in European football.

The key objectives of the seminar were to ensure that DCOs have common knowledge, interpretation of rules and approach, and are given the tools to deliver professional work. Items on the agenda in Nyon included a review of doping controls last season, a look at developments this season and a preview of the coming campaign. In 2009/10, some 1,710 doping controls were conducted in all UEFA competitions, including youth and women's. Of that number, more than 1,300 controls were carried out in Europe's two major club competitions. Four positive cases were recorded, UEFA said on its official website.

Discussions also centered on the new whereabouts procedures – whereby clubs must provide information on the whereabouts of their players – which were implemented at the start of the 2010/11 campaign in relation to out-of-competition testing. The procedures allow for tougher punishment for repeat infringements, and are aimed at creating greater discipline and respect for the rules in this area compared with last season.

The UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations, 2011 edition were approved by the UEFA Executive Committee at its meeting in Paris in March and come into force at the end of May. The new regulations take into account the new whereabouts procedures, as well as the 2011 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.

Plans for the UEFA EURO 2012 anti-doping program were also covered. Work is well under way to ensure that the drug control procedures and facilities meet the correct requirements at the eight UEFA EURO 2012 venues – Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw (Poland) and Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Lviv (Ukraine). Hopes are high for a successful tournament in this sector, following the 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland when no positive cases were registered.