Azerbaijan National Anti-Doping Agency reports significant progress in 2024

The Azerbaijan National Anti-Doping Agency (AMADA) is successfully completing 2024.

Azernews reports, citing AMADA that this year the agency has made significant progress in implementing doping control in the country, applying advanced practices and modern innovative methods in line with international standards. AMADA, which kicked off the Olympic year with two international scientific-practical conferences, concluded the reporting period with another international conference focused on strategic goals.

Preventing the dangers posed by doping in the world of sports, protecting the health of athletes and ensuring their rights are AMADA's main priorities. With the policies and measures it implements, AMADA not only strengthens the physical and psychological health of athletes but also further strengthens the image of clean sports of our country in the international arena.

In 2024, 1,300 anti-doping tests were taken from athletes. The Test Distribution Plan covers 30 sports and 56 sub-sports. Testing was conducted at 52 national competitions, and AMADA was entrusted with collecting samples at 6 international competitions. 90.6 percent of the tests were taken in Baku, 7.5 percent in the regions, and 1.8 percent in other cities around the world.

This year, AMADA's Results Processing and Investigation Department initiated proceedings against 8 athletes for various anti-doping rule violations. 4 of these were related to the use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete, 2 were related to the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in an athlete's sample, 1 was related to the athlete's evasion, refusal or failure to provide a sample, and 1 was related to the falsification or attempted falsification of any part of doping control.

During the reporting period, 9 anti-doping rule violations were sanctioned. Of these, 7 were anti-doping rule violations involving the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in an athlete's sample, use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method by an athlete, 1 was evasion, refusal or failure to provide a sample by an athlete, and 1 was a violation of location information by an athlete. Thus, 2 violations were found in the boxing sport, and 1 in taekwondo, weightlifting, powerlifting, judo, wrestling, athletics and kickboxing.

In total, 59 awareness seminars, 9 webinars, 7 mass outreach events, and 4 events were held during the year, reaching 3,074 people.

This year, round tables were held under the "State Program for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors and Drug Addiction for 2019-2024" and "Strategic Partnership: Cooperation for the Development of Global Anti-Doping Initiatives", a survey was organized on the impact and spread of psychoactive substance use, and the European Prevention Training Program manual was translated into Azerbaijani.

At the initiative of AMADA, a "Fair Sports Week" was declared in our country on April 15-21. Thus, during the "Fair Sports Week", informative posts and stories were shared, videos reflecting the opinions of well-known figures in the sports community on this day were shown, as well as competitions consisting of surveys on Fair Sports Day were organized.

This year, AMADA signed agreements and memorandums of cooperation with the national anti-doping organizations of Turkey and Germany, the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation, the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation, and the Azerbaijan Sports Academy.