Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration 2017

Part of the book series: Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration ((YISA))

  • 291 Accesses

Abstract

On first reading, case 2016/A/4708 Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, award of 23 January 2017 (hereafter BCA v ICF) raises three familiar, deceptively simple, themes in anti-doping. Namely, the potential role of national criminal authorities in doping investigations; the relationship between those authorities and international sporting stakeholders; and the importance of those stakeholders adhering to their own rules when pursuing anti-doping allegations. This chapter addresses those aspects in detail, but the case has a significance that goes beyond anti-doping. Specifically, BCA v ICF raises wider issues about anti-doping actors whose obligations under the WADA regime cannot be easily reconciled with their reliance on governments that use sports as a tool for cronyism and furthering political agendas. Such is the case in Belarus, where the relationship between a supposedly independent national anti-doping authority and an ignoble and unhappy regime appears uncomfortably close. These concerns are compounded by sports federations which are only too happy to let Europe’s last dictatorship host their international events.

CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 52. The challenges posed by meldonium use and its treatment under the WADA Code has been extensively covered and need not detain us here, but see WADC Commentary, Meldonium and Moral Fault: Five Lessons Learned from the Sharapova ITF Tribunal Decision, 10 June 2016. http://wadc-commentary.com/2016/06/. Accessed 30 April 2019. See also WADC Commentary, The Significance of Maria Sharapova’s Fault, 30 September 2016. http://wadc-commentary.com/sharapova_cas/. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  2. 2.

    Ibid.

  3. 3.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 7.

  4. 4.

    WADA, Notice—Meldonium, 30 June 2016. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/2016-06-30-meldonium_notice.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  5. 5.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 10.

  6. 6.

    Ibid.

  7. 7.

    Ibid., para. 14.

  8. 8.

    Ibid., para. 15.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    Ibid., para. 20.

  11. 11.

    2016 CAS Code, available at https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Code_2016_final_en_pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019. The same requirement existed in R37 of the 2017 CAS Code, and it remains in the current (2019) version: https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Code_2019_en_pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  12. 12.

    Ibid., para. 81.

  13. 13.

    Art. 42 ICF Statutes. https://federations.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/icf_statutes_2015_with_changes.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  14. 14.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 28.

  15. 15.

    Article 12.3 of the Anti-Doping Rules provides (in salient part)

    12.3 The ICF may elect to take additional disciplinary actions against national federations with respect to recognition, eligibility…and fines based on the following:

    12.3.1 Four or more violations committed by athletes or other persons affiliated with a national federation within a twelve-month period in testing conducted by the ICF or anti-doping organisations other than the national federation or its national anti-doping organisation.

  16. 16.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 28.

  17. 17.

    Ibid., para. 30.

  18. 18.

    Ibid.

  19. 19.

    Ibid.

  20. 20.

    Ibid.

  21. 21.

    Ibid.

  22. 22.

    Art. 12.3 ICF Anti-Doping Rules. https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/icf_anti-doping_rules_based_upon_the_2015_revised_wada_code_0.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  23. 23.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, paras 42–44.

  24. 24.

    Ibid., para. 44.

  25. 25.

    Ibid., para. 45.

  26. 26.

    Ibid., para. 48.

  27. 27.

    Ibid., para. 54.

  28. 28.

    WADA, Notice—Meldonium, 30 June 2016. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/2016-06-30-meldonium_notice.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  29. 29.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 54.

  30. 30.

    Ibid., para. 52.

  31. 31.

    Ibid., para. 53.

  32. 32.

    Ibid., para. 55.

  33. 33.

    Ibid., para. 57.

  34. 34.

    Ibid., para. 59. The Award actually speaks of “legitimate medical use” but it is clear from the context that ‘legitimate’ was used in error.

  35. 35.

    Ibid., para. 62.

  36. 36.

    Ibid., para. 63.

  37. 37.

    Ibid., para. 65.

  38. 38.

    See for example the English cases of Modahl v British Athletic Federation [2001] EWCA Civ 1447 (12 October 2001); Korda v International Tennis Federation, The Times (4 February 1999); Gasser v Stinson (1988) CH-88_G_2191.

  39. 39.

    CAS, History of the CAS. http://www.tas-cas.org/en/general-information/history-of-the-cas.html. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  40. 40.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 81.

  41. 41.

    Judgment of 7 June 2016, KZR 6/15, English translation available at https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Pechstein_ISU_translation_ENG_final.pdf. Accessed 13 May 2019.

  42. 42.

    Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Tailored Review of UK Anti-Doping, January 2018. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/677496/Tailored_Review_of_UK_Anti-Doping_-_Final_Version_for_Publication_.pdf; Philip Clemo, Funding, Independence and Effectiveness. Key Points from the Government’s Tailored Review of Anti-Doping, 27 June 2018. https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/articles/item/funding-independence-and-effectiveness-key-points-from-the-government-s-tailored-review-of-uk-anti-doping. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  43. 43.

    ETS 135, 16 November 1989; Ed 2005/Convention Anti-Doping Rev.

  44. 44.

    Hertogh and Kurkchiyan (2016).

  45. 45.

    ETS 135, 16 November 1989; Ed 2005/Convention Anti-Doping Rev. Art. 1, 3.

  46. 46.

    Horta et al., Project on the Compliance with Commitments: Commitments by France with the Anti-Doping Convention, 26 August 2004. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-france-of-the-anti-d/168073ac52. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  47. 47.

    Ibid., p. 6.

  48. 48.

    Ibid., p. 18.

  49. 49.

    Ibid., p. 34.

  50. 50.

    Hanstad and Houlihan (2015).

  51. 51.

    Ibid.

  52. 52.

    Ibid., discussing WADA/Anti-Doping Norway, International NADO Cooperation Projects: A Guideline with Templates for NADO-to-NADO Partnerships, 2014. https://onad-monaco.mc/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/WADA-Guidelines-International-NADO-Cooperation-EN.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  53. 53.

    Horta et al., Project on the Compliance with Commitments: Commitments by France with the Anti-Doping Convention, 26 August 2004. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-france-of-the-anti-d/168073ac52. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  54. 54.

    UNESCO (2005) ‘International Convention Against Doping in Sport’ ED.2005/Convention Anti-Doping Rev Paris: UNESCO.

  55. 55.

    Ibid., Art. 1.

  56. 56.

    For the report on the 2017 Conference, see UNESCO, Conference of Parties to the International Convention Against Doping in Sport, 2017. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002599/259976E.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  57. 57.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  58. 58.

    Ibid., p. 5.

  59. 59.

    Ibid., p. 6.

  60. 60.

    Liam Morgan, Belarus Joins Signatories of Council of Europe’s Additional Protocol to the Anti-Doping Convention, 10 December 2016. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1044685/belarus-join-signatories-of-council-of-europes-additional-protocol-to-the-anti-doping-convention. Accessed 19 October 2018. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  61. 61.

    Belarusian Athletes Tested At WADA-Accredited Laboratories Ahead of Rio, 27 June 2016. https://www.belarus.by/en/government/events/belarusian-olympians-tested-in-wada-accredited-laboratories-ahead-of-rio_i_0000042008.html. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  62. 62.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6, p. 17. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  63. 63.

    Ibid., pp. 19–20.

  64. 64.

    Ibid., p. 20.

  65. 65.

    Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Introductory Remarks at ‘The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Fight against Doping’ International Conference, 12 September 2012. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/Paris_Conf_Nov2012_proceedings_v2.pdf, p. 8. Accessed 13 May 2019.

  66. 66.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6, p. 22. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  67. 67.

    Ibid., p. 23.

  68. 68.

    As amended in 2017, see International Organization for Standardization, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, 2005. https://www.iso.org/standard/39883.html. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  69. 69.

    WADA, International Standard for Laboratories, 2 June 2016. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/laboratories/international-standard-for-laboratories-isl. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  70. 70.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6, p. 25. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  71. 71.

    Radio Free Europe, WADA to Gain Access to Russian Laboratory This Week, 7 January 2019. https://www.rferl.org/a/world-anti-doping-agency-to-gain-access-to-russian-laboratory-this-week/29696148.html. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  72. 72.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6, p. 26. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  73. 73.

    Ibid., p. 32.

  74. 74.

    Ibid., p. 36.

  75. 75.

    Ibid., p. 38; UKAD, UK Anti-Doping to Work in Partnership with Belarus National Anti-Doping Organisation, 28 May 2013. https://www.ukad.org.uk/news/article/uk-anti-doping-to-work-in-partnership-with-belarus-nado. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  76. 76.

    Council of Europe, Respect by Belarus of the Anti-Doping Convention, 12 November 2015. https://rm.coe.int/project-on-compliance-with-commitments-respect-by-belarus-of-the-anti-/168073acb6, p. 37. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  77. 77.

    Ibid., p. 38.

  78. 78.

    UNESCO, Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, 10 November 2017. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002601/260167E.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  79. 79.

    Freedom House, Timeline: Twenty Years of Human Rights Abuses in Belarus, 2014. https://freedomhouse.org/fair-play-beyond-sports/timeline-20-years-human-rights-abuses-belarus. Accessed 30 April 2019. ‘Lukashenka’ is the Belarusian spelling of the President’s name while ‘Lukashenko’ is the Russian. The former is used throughout, except where necessary in URLs.

  80. 80.

    Council of the European Union, Council Common Position 2004/661/CFSP Concerning Restrictive Measures against Certain Officials of Belarus, 24 September 2004. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32004E0661&from=EN; Council of the European Union, Council Common Position 2004/848/CFSP Amending 2004/661/CFSP, 13 December 2004. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32004E0848&from=EN; Council of the European Union, Council Common Position 2006/276/CFSP Concerning Restrictive Measures against Certain Officials of Belarus, 10 April 2006. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006E0276&from=en. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  81. 81.

    LA Times, Belarus Leader denied entry to Britain for Olympics or Otherwise, 25 July 2012. https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/07/belarus-president-alexander-Lukashenko-olympic-europe-visa.html. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  82. 82.

    Wilson (2011, p. 205).

  83. 83.

    Belsat, Roman Abramovich to Invest in Belarusian Plant, 12 March 2016. https://belsat.eu/en/news/roman-abramovich-to-invest-in-belarusian-plant/. Accessed 13 May 2019.

  84. 84.

    Wilson (2011, p. 38).

  85. 85.

    Kremlin, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Lukashenka Took Part in an Ice Hockey Game, 15 February 2019. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59845. Accessed 13 May 2019.

  86. 86.

    Council of the European Union, Council Decision2012/36/CFSP Amending Council Decision 2010/639/CFSP, 23 January 2012. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:019:0031:0032:EN:PDF. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  87. 87.

    Vadzim Bylina, Belarusian Ultras and the Regime, 29 January 2013. https://belarusdigest.com/story/belarusian-ultras-and-the-regime/. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  88. 88.

    General Court, T-275/12 Dynamo Minsk v The Council, ECLI:EU:T:2015:747.

  89. 89.

    General Court, T-276/12 Chyzh v The Council, ECLI:EU:T:2015:748.

  90. 90.

    General Court, T-275/12 Dynamo Minsk v The Council, ECLI:EU:T:2015:747, para. 88.

  91. 91.

    Vadzim Bylina, Belarusian Ultras and the Regime, 29 January 2013. https://belarusdigest.com/story/belarusian-ultras-and-the-regime/. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  92. 92.

    United Nations Office of Human Rights, Belarus Homepage, 2018. https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/enacaregion/pages/byindex.aspx. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  93. 93.

    Hugo Bachega, Belarus: The Secret Executions in Europe’s ‘Last Dictatorship’, 15 May 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43799280. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  94. 94.

    According to Reporters without Borders, World Press Freedom Index, 2018. https://rsf.org/en/ranking. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  95. 95.

    Viasna, Miklos Haraszti to Present His Last report on Belarus, 31 January 2018. http://spring96.org/en/news/90135. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  96. 96.

    Wilson (2011, p. 190).

  97. 97.

    BBC, Belarus Vote: Lukashenka Re-elected President by a Landslide, 12 October 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34499387. Accessed 14 May 2019; Human Rights Watch, Belarus: Events of 2017. www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/belarus. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  98. 98.

    Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Belarus to host over 70 international sports events in 2017, 20 December 2016. https://eng.belta.by/sport/view/belarus-to-host-over-70-international-sports-events-in-2017-97361-2016/. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  99. 99.

    Sports Events to Be Held in Belarus in 2018. http://india.mfa.gov.by/uploademb/india/2017/sports_calendar_2018.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2019; Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Belarus to Host 100 Sporting Events in 2019, 18 December 2018. https://eng.belta.by/sport/view/belarus-to-host-100-international-sport-events-in-2019-117442-2018/. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  100. 100.

    James Ellingworth, Belarusian capital Minsk Awarded 2019 European Games, 21 October 2016. https://apnews.com/4bbf3e727ec7425b9c979c04d16cbac5. Accessed 30 April 2019; Denmark and Norway voted against the decision, while Germany and Great Britain were among five who abstained: Michael Pavitt, Germany to Send Team to Minsk 2019 After Opting Against Boycott Over Human Rights Concerns, 18 February 2019. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1075721/germany-to-send-team-to-minsk-2019-after-opting-against-boycott-over-human-rights-concerns. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  101. 101.

    Ibid.

  102. 102.

    Wilson (2011, p. 243).

  103. 103.

    Turley (2016).

  104. 104.

    Dan Palmer, Kocijancic Meets With Belarus Prime Minister as Minsk 2019 Looms Closer, 8 February 2019. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1075286/kocijancic-meets-with-belarus-prime-minister-as-minsk-2019-looms-closer. Accessed 30 April 2019.

  105. 105.

    James Diamond, Belarus President Piles Pressure on Home Athletes Before Minsk 2019 European Games, 5 January 2019. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1073903/belarus-president-piles-pressure-on-home-athletes-before-minsk-2019-european-games. Accessed 13 May 2019.

  106. 106.

    CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation, Award of 23 January 2017, para. 52.

References

  • Hanstad D, Houlihan B (2015) Strengthening Global Anti-Doping Policy Through Bilateral Collaboration: the Example of Norway and China. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 7(Issue 4) 587–604.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertogh M, Kurkchiyan M (2016) ‘When Politics Come Into Play, Law is No Longer Law’: Images of Collective Legal Consciousness in the UK, Poland and Bulgaria. International Journal of Law in Context 12 (Issue 4) 404–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turley T (2016) When the ‘Escape’ Ends. Responsibility of the IOC and FIFA at the Intersection of Sport Law and Human Rights. Notre Dame Journal of International and Comparative Law 6 (Issue 1) 145–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson A (2011) Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the editors, to Marjolaine Viret and to Catherine Ordway for their comments on an earlier draft, but the errors are mine alone.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Law, Stirling University, Stirling, Scotland, UK

    David McArdle

Authors
  1. David McArdle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David McArdle .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ASSER International Sports Law Centre, T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Antoine Duval

  2. Faculté de droit, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    Antonio Rigozzi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 T.M.C. Asser Press and the authors

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

McArdle, D. (2019). Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States. In: Duval, A., Rigozzi, A. (eds) Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration 2017. Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/15757_2019_28

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/15757_2019_28

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-6265-318-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-6265-319-1

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation