Namibia has assembled a national technical working committee to establish the legal framework for the establishment of the country’s anti-doping agency.
Sport minister Agnes Tjongarero appointed the members of the Unesco National Project Technical Working Committee (TWC) on Tuesday.
The members of the TWC are Gaby Ahrens, Joan Smit, Tjeripo Musutua, Agnes Hausiku, Charles Humavindu, and Victoria Katukula by virtue of her being the country’s anti-doping liaison officer.
“The appointment of the members of the technical working committee is to strengthen and increase the capacity of the embryonic institution to execute this important task for our country,” Anti-Doping Namibia said in a statement yesterday.
“The technical working committee will embark on the process of drafting the country’s anti-doping policy, which in turn will set the tone for the envisaged anti-doping legislation.”
The committee’s establishment stems from the ratification of the Unesco International Convention against Doping in Sport by member states in 2007. The respective member states were expected to establish their national anti-doping bodies.
“Working towards the establishment of Namibia own anti-doping organisation, the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, last year approached Unesco for possible funding, which culminated in the country being awarded a national project titled ‘Development of a Legal Framework for the Establishment of a Namibia Anti-Doping Organisation (Nado)’,” reads the statement.
The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service subsequently hosted a consultative workshop in June with its various stakeholders, such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, Regional Anti-Doping Organisation, South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, Namibia Sport Commission, Namibia National Olympic Committee and Namibia National Paralympic Committee, which culminated in several resolutions being taken.
Among them, was the establishment of a technical working committee, which was activated earlier this week.
Tjongarero indicated that “it was long overdue for Namibia to establish its own national anti-doping organisation and become code-compliant, as this is important “for the future of sport and athletes in this country”.
