WADA bans Angola from using national symbols at all competitions

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has ruled that Angola cannot use national symbols, such as the anthem and flag, due to delays in approving the country’s anti-doping law. The sanction also includes the Paris 2024 Games.

The Angolan Olympic Committee (AOC) has been sanctioned for failing to meet deadlines to bring its sports legislation into line with the statutes of this international body.

The sanction document sent to the AOC also stated that it would lose the privileges guaranteed by the organisation until it was reinstated, as well as the impossibility of Angolan representatives being eligible for any position within WADA. Among the other sanctions outlined in the letter, it is specified that the AOC will not be eligible to host any event organised or co-organised by the institution.

This sanction comes five months before the start of the Paris Olympic Games and has implications for nations who will not be able to compete under their national symbols. At the moment, Angola will not be able to participate with the symbolism that its athletes proudly carry.

Specifically, according to a WADA statement, the Angolan NOC’s non-compliance is the result of its inability to fully implement the 2021 version of the World Anti-Doping Code within its legal system.

In accordance with the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), by placing the Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs) on the “Watch List”, the ExCo gave the ADOs an additional four months to implement their corrective action plans. At the end of the monitoring period, the non-conformities had not been resolved. Therefore, on 23 January 2024, WADA sent a formal notice of non-compliance in accordance with Article 9.2.3 of the ISCCS.

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After being given 21days to contest WADA’s alleged non-compliance and/or WADA’s proposed consequences and/or terms of installation, or to accept the alleged non-compliance in accordance with Article 9.3.1 of the ISCCS, the Angolan Committee did not respond by contesting WADA’s alleged non-compliance, the proposed consequences of non-compliance, or the proposed terms of installation.

Consequently, the alleged failure is deemed to have been admitted and the consequences and terms of installation accepted. Therefore, the Formal Notice sent to the Angolan NOC on 23 January 2024 is now a final decision.

In response, Mr Gustavo da Conceição, president of the AOC, told the press at the “Gold 2023” Champions Gala that the suspension “can easily be lifted as soon as WADA receives the anti-doping instrument in sport in Angola, which has already been enacted”.

According to the head of the COA, specific violations could lead to increased sanctions, such as preventing the country from hosting international competitions and ending Angolans’ mandates in international institutions.

As for Angola’s unapproved anti-doping law, it is estimated that it could be passed on 28 February and that the country would then immediately inform WADA of its existence and adapt its legislation accordingly. If this happens, the current suspension can be lifted.

It should be noted that, at the urgent request of the executive, the law on anti-doping in sport in Angola was approved in detail and unanimously by the deputies of the National Assembly (NA) on 16 February. With the favourable votes of the political parties in the “House of Laws”, the legislative diploma will go to the final vote in the plenary session of the National Assembly on 28 February.

The document, which was debated in its entirety at the beginning of the month during the III Extraordinary Session of the II Legislative Session of the V Legislative Session of the National Assembly, aims to harmonise the legal regime for the fight against doping in sport with the International Convention against Doping and the World Code with the current ordinary legislation.

We confirm that, effective today, the National Olympic Committee of Angola and the National Anti-Doping Organization of the Philippines have been declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. Read more about this decision here https://t.co/wwbsLwxQj4

The NADO of the Philippines failed to address several critical non-conformities identified through the WADA Compliance Questionnaire (CCQ). In accordance with the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), by placing the Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs) on the “Watch List”, the ExCo gave the ADOs an additional four months to implement their corrective action plans.

At the end of the monitoring period, the non-conformities had not been resolved. Therefore, in accordance with Article 9.2.3 of the ISCCS, WADA sent a formal notice of non-compliance to both ADOs (Philippines and Angola) on 23 January 2024. Both had 21 days to respond, although the difference was that the Philippines contested the allegations, leaving any sanction (or absolution) open.

On 13 February, WADA received formal notice from the NADO of the Philippines that it was contesting the allegations of non-compliance against it. WADA will now refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for consideration. As such, the consequences will not apply until CAS issues its decision.