International Convention against Doping in Sport
A global effort to eliminate doping in sport
UNESCO’sInternational Convention against Doping in Sport (2005) is amultilateral treaty by which States agree to adopt national and international measures to prevent and eliminatedoping in sport. The Convention was adopted during the 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference (19 October 2005) and entered into force on 1 February 2007. Since its initial ratification by 30 countries, the Convention now counts with 192 States Parties, making it UNESCO’s second most ratified treaty. The Convention aims to harmonize anti-doping legislation, guidelines, regulations, and rules internationally in order to provide a level and safe playing environment for all athletes.
How we tackle doping in sport
Mission of the Convention
The Anti-Doping Convention provides States Parties with the legal framework to:
- encourage international cooperation to protect athletes and the ethics of sport;
- limit the availability of prohibited substances and methods to combat trafficking;
- facilitate doping controls and support national testing programmes;
- encourage producers and distributors of nutritional supplements to establish ‘best practices’ in the labelling, marketing, and distribution of products which might contain prohibited substances;
- support the implementation of anti-doping education programmes; and
- promote anti-doping research.
The Convention works under a positive implementation approach, providing guidance, financial support, skill-training and capacity-building to empower States Parties aiming to enhance their implementation of the Convention. It also provides a global forum for public and private stakeholders of the sport integrity ecosystem.
Governance of the Anti-Doping Convention
The Conference of Parties (COP) is thesovereign body of the Convention, meeting in ordinary session biennially. It has overall responsibility for its implementation and evolution.
The functions of the COP, as foreseen in Article 30 of the Convention, include the promotion of the purpose of the Convention, the discussion of the relationship with the World Anti-Doping Agency, the adoption of a plan for the use of the resources of theFund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport, the examination of the monitoring of compliance byStates Parties; and the examination and adoption of any amendments to the Convention.
See also: Rules of Procedure of the COP
Monitoring of the Convention
The Anti-Doping Convention supports governments in strengthening their national frameworks to uphold sport values, ethics and integrity. Its monitoring mechanism enables States Parties to identify implementation gaps and take targeted actions.
Improved and refined in 2015 and 2023, the mechanism is supported by several key tools and frameworks, such as Operational Guidelines and Framework for the strengthening of the implementation of the Convention (OG/FSIC), the Model Strategic Framework (MSF) and tailored capacity-building programmes led by the Secretariat. To further assist States Parties, the Secretariat has developed several multilingual resources, including tutorials, guidelines, and good practices, alongside constant dialogues to support effective implementation of the Convention.
Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport
UNESCO supports public authorities in the design and implementation of anti-doping awareness-raising, education, policy advice and capacity building. Since 2008, the Anti-Doping Fund has invested over USD 5 million for over 200 projects in more than 120 countries.
Investing in the Fund is a sign of commitment to protecting sport values, ethics and integrity so that no State Party is left behind.
Values Education through Sport
Values Education through Sport (VETS) programmes support active learning, complement cognitive skills and give students increasing amounts of responsibility, and enhance their level of concentration and participation.
VETS programmes are flexible and have a strong cross-curricular potential: they can reinforce existing curricula and can be streamed across different subjects, including physical education, civic and moral education, nutrition, biology, arts.
Traditional Pharmacopoeia and Sport Values, Ethics and Integrity
UNESCO has been addressing the topic of traditional pharmacopoeia in the context of sport values, ethics and integrity since the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to governments’ call to address the impacts of traditional medicine in sport.
Developed under the guidance of a Global Task Force of over 40 experts, the Guidelines on Traditional Pharmacopoeia in the Context of Sport Values, Ethics and Integrityare the first global reference including the scientific classification of 42 plants according to their potential doping effects. The Guidelines, endorsed by COP10, help bridge public health, sport and cultural heritage, and will be formally recognized at a Ministerial Platform during the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.The guidelines are supported by a dedicated digital platform, serving as a knowledge hub to inspire States Parties to strengthen national frameworks in this domain.
In line with States Parties’ requests at COP10, an International Platform for Traditional Pharmacopoeia in Sport Values, Ethics and Integrity will be established, with each State Party designating a National Focal Point to participate in this mechanism.
Annexes: Prohibited List / Standards for Granting Therapeutic Use Exemptions
Two fundamental documents to international anti-doping efforts documents are developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and annexed to the Anti-Doping Convention: the Prohibited List and the Standards for Granting Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE Standard).
Article 34 of the Convention outlines a mechanism that allows States Parties to approve and adopt any updates or modifications made to the Prohibited List or the TUE Standard by WADA. Unless two-thirds of the States Parties object within the determined deadlines, the proposed amendments are incorporated into the Convention.
Annex I: Prohibited List
Each year WADA prepares a comprehensive list of prohibited substances and methods. This Prohibited List is continually evolving as new substances and methods are uncovered and scientific knowledge of the effects of the various substances advances.
Annex II: Standards for Granting Therapeutic Use Exemptions
The TUE Standard outlines the means by which athletes can use medicines on the Prohibited List to treat legitimate medical conditions. Athletes that have obtained a TUE will not be considered to have committed an anti-doping rule violation should a positive test for the approved medication result, as long as the conditions of the TUE are fully met.
Contact
Marcellin Dally
Executive Secretary of the Anti-Doping Convention
antidopingteam@unesco.org