Policy development
The year under review was the third in which the revised 2009 World Anti-Doping Code ('the Code') was in force. The Code is implemented in the Netherlands by the adoption – by the various elite sport associations – of the Dutch National Doping Regulations (NDR). On the basis of experience with the NDR and on the basis of other WADA regulations, the next version of these regulations was written in 2011, and submitted to the sports associations. WADA appraised this new version in the light of the Code, and WADA's comments were included in the regulations. These new regulations were in force at virtually all sports associations from early 2012 onwards (at the latest). The anti-doping policy of the NOC*NSF, as established in 2007 in close collaboration with the Doping Authority, was also the foundation underlying our work in 2011. The central element of this policy is that the national and international elite levels of Dutch sports are the Doping Authority's primary field of activity. The other side of the picture continued to be that we conducted fewer intensive controls at the lower competitive levels.
During the course of 2011, an NOC*NSF working party comprising seven association directors produced a report on the Dutch anti-doping policy. The report contained 12 recommendations for Dutch sports. The implementation of these recommendations requires, in almost all cases, the involvement of the Doping Authority, and the activities that can be conducted by the Doping Authority acting independently have already been addressed in 2011.
In late 2011, WADA initiated the consultation process that is intended to result in the revision of the Code in late 2013. In close consultation with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, NOC*NSF and the NOC*NSF Athletes’ Committee, the Doping Authority drafted the first Dutch contribution.
In the news
The director acts as the spokesman for the organisation and he therefore has intensive contacts with a large number of Dutch journalists. In addition to the numerous individual contacts with the media, a meeting for journalists/sports journalists was organised again in 2011, and 16 press releases were issued. Once again, in 2011, there were a number of doping-related events that generated extremely high levels of publicity, and the Doping Authority was frequently asked to comment.
The control work of the Doping Authority focused more and more on the very highest levels of Dutch sports. This probably explains why Dutch elite athletes known to the general public are suspected of doping more often than previously. The Doping Authority itself does not go public with these matters. However, these suspected violations often receive extensive publicity because the media are informed by the athletes themselves or through other channels.
Case management
After 2007, there had been a fall in the number of cases of suspected doping reported to the sports associations or international federations but there was a slight increase again in 2011. At the same time, there has been a rapid increase in recent years in the complexity of the procedures for handling some of those cases and that development certainly continued in 2011. The number of man-hours involved in each individual case was therefore higher than ever.
Collaboration
The Doping Authority does its work for and with the world of sports and the associated organisations. Of course, this primarily means the Dutch sports associations, with whom there are intensive contacts relating to virtually all aspects of the Doping Authority's work. There are also covenants setting out the details of the arrangements of our regular collaboration with some other organisations. Two covenants were signed in 2011: one with the Association for Sports Medicine (VSG) and one with Service Médical.