Speech by State Secretary Mr. Per Kr. Skulberg

International Drugs in Sport Summit

Sydney, Australia, November 15th 1999

Mme Chair

Ministers and Heads of Delegations

Fellow Delegates

On behalf of the Norwegian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Mrs. Åslaug Marie Haga, I first of all want to express my admiration and gratefulness for the initiative taken by the Australian Minister for Sport and Tourism, Ms. Jackie Kelly, to summon representatives of Governments with special responsibilities in sport issues to this conference on anti-doping here in Sydney, the site for next year’s Olympic Games. From our co-operation through the International Anti-Doping Arrangement, the seven IADA-countries committed to pursue a systematic, consequent, qualified and fair anti-doping policy, we have learned to appreciate and respect the Australian side as a highly aim-oriented, operative, and very constructive partner.

We look forward to fully participate in this conference, being confident of the management and the results of this important gathering of responsible and committed representatives of Governments.

Let me at once underline that Governments not only have a role to play if effective anti-doping programmes are to be developed. In order to secure that sport on national level is not treated as a private phenomenon belonging to international sports organisations, and thereby left to be treated according to different standards, regulations and procedures, the Governments should protect and guide sports in their respective countries by establishing unified, quality oriented anti-doping systems that apply to all national athletes.

This statement is in fact the core of the Norwegian Anti-Doping Policy, which was laid down as early as 1976 by the Norwegian Confederation of Sports. At the General Assembly in 1976 the fundamental principles were adopted, which since then have been applied to all Norwegian athletes, regardless of what sport they practice. A centralised national anti-doping system was established, based on the duties and obligations of voluntarily entering into membership of organised sports in Norway.

Since the mid 70-ties the national anti-doping system has been developed in many dimensions, but the fundamental principles have been the same during these almost 25 years: Norwegian athletes are citizens of the same country. As such they are treated equally, i.e. the same general laws apply to everybody. The misuse of drugs and doping substances are part of the same problem area of the community and cannot be treated as private problems belonging to a certain selfprotected sector of our communties.

Doping regulations fall outside of the competition rules and regulations of each sport. While competition rules and regulations are sport-specific, and express themselves physically in very different ways, no one would seriously argue that drug-taking by athletes should be considered as sport-specific activities, and as a consequence be under the jurisdiction of a wide variety of international sports federations.

To keep up public trust and thereby public support, and to protect athletes’ rights to fair and just treatment, are of fundamental importance if modern sport is to maintain legitimacy as something more valuable than mere money-oriented entertainment and business.

From a Norwegian sport-loving outlook it has been sad and frustrating to experience the lack of real interest and responsibility among sports organisations, especially on the international level, to acknowledge the problems, and to counteract forcefully, and in time.

The preoccupation with imagery and money-making has given international sports a long way to go if value rhetoric is to be believed in the years to come.

Let me in this context briefly touch upon an issue that has been part of the WADA discussion. Representatives of the IOC side have on several occasions bluntly expressed that if Governments were to expect any influence on WADA’s structure and running, they had to equal the IOC investment of 25 million US $. The Norwegian Government finds it unacceptable that the IOC, on behalf of international sports federations, demands financial contributions from the GO-sector, as if the problem on this agenda is of that nature. The international sports federations and the IOC have harvested heavily on the commercial possibilities of modern sports. It can be nothing but logical that the drug problems in international sports, created through the pressures and gains on international level, are – at last – paid for by those who have taken out the prestige and surplus of that game.

The Governments should continue to contribute to their national sport systems, especially by taking active responsibility for the financing and quality assurance of anti-doping solutions that are treating athletes as citizens of the same country, regardless of their sport activity. Anti-doping regimes do not come under the competition rules and regulations that are the field of jurisdiction of international sports organisations. They are far more important, and should be treated accordingly.

Finally, Norway welcomes the initiative of Canada to establish an international inter-governmental steering committee to carry forward and co-ordinate action on the outcome of this summit. Norway therefore supports the Canadian proposal.