You are viewing the twelfth Annual Report from the Anti-Doping Authority of the Netherlands. This is the seventh Annual Report to be published exclusively in digital form.
2017 was the year in which the lion's share of the project 'Together for clean sport' (SVESS) was implemented. This project is being carried out in close cooperation with NOC*NSF, the KNVB, the KNBB, the Athletics Union and Fit!vak. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is also providing financial support for the project. There are various activities (prevention and control) targeting football, billiards, athletics and fitness. The aim is to establish models tailored specifically to team sports, sports with a high percentage of inadvertent doping violations, sports with a relatively high doping risk, and fitness. The models will be used by other sports associations and organisations in these categories to improve their anti-doping policies.
Given the ongoing intensive contacts with the press in 2017, it would seem fair to conclude that the strong profile of the Doping Authority is a fact of life that does not depend on the seriousness or extent of current doping cases. It is not possible to respond to all requests for information and comments, and so a selective approach is unavoidable. Nevertheless, the aim is to provide the fastest and most complete possible service for the principal media (national newspapers, radio and television). The numerous contacts with the media resulted once again in an extremely large number of publications and broadcasts that included the Doping Authority's views and the information we provided. More than in previous years, the media reported on the organisation of the doping policy in an international context in direct response to the very serious doping issues in Russia and often on the basis (in part) of information provided by the Doping Authority. More specifically, the focus was on the IOC's approach to Russia, particularly against the backdrop of the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea.
The nature and extent of the Russian 'doping scandal', and the range of responses in the international sports world, also had a major impact on the Doping Authority. WADA involved the Doping Authority in different ways in a number of projects focusing not only on finding solutions for the short term but also on the implementation of reforms in the global anti-doping world in the longer term. Back in 2016, a new form of collaboration between National Anti-Doping Organisations (the 'NADO Leader Summits') was set up very quickly and this line was continued in 2017 (with two more meetings). These summits produced analyses and explanations that will play a major role in international decision-making.
The Doping Authority received an increase in the financial contribution from the Dutch Lottery and was therefore able to expand the National Doping Control Programme. This allowed us to reduce the gap between ourselves and other elite sports countries to some extent. A total of 3,008 doping controls took place, 2,408 under the National Doping Control Programme.
After the Anti-Doping Policy Implementation Bill (Wuab) was sent to the Dutch Lower House by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in September 2016, a round-table discussion followed in the Lower House in January 2017 at which the Doping Authority was also given the opportunity to express our views about the bill and its implementation. After the parliamentary elections in March 2017, however, the bill was declared controversial and its progress through parliament was accordingly suspended. After the appointment of the new government, work resumed but there was no parliamentary debate on the bill in the Lower House in 2017.
The transfer of tasks, personnel and resources from the present foundation to the independent governing authority will require thorough preparation but these matters can only be settled and arranged in concrete terms when the exact details of the new law (and any associated decrees) are known. This stage had not yet been reached at the end of 2017.
Despite the ongoing struggle to balance the responsibilities of the organisation and the available resources, we believe that we made an important contribution to the fight against doping in sport once again in 2017. We hope you will agree with us after reading this Annual Report.