Вебинар в Центре альтернативных слушаний CAS в Абу-Даби о влиянии нового Всемирного антидопингового кодекса

With More than 1,320 Attendees from 34 Countries Webinar at Abu Dhabi CAS Alternative Hearing Centre on "The Impact of the New World Anti-Doping Code" The Abu Dhabi CAS Alternative Hearing Centre at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) organised a webinar entitled "Impact of the New World Anti-Doping Code" with the participation of a group of international specialists in the field of sports law and sports arbitration cases, in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, President of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to strive to enrich the legal scientific approach and keep abreast of legislative and judicial developments at the local, regional and global levels. The Abu Dhabi CAS Alternative Hearing Centre explained that the event which brought together more than 1,320 participants among specialists and those interested in sports law from 34 Arab and foreign countries; aimed to discuss the amendments included in the Anti-Doping Code, which came into effect on the first of January 2021, and to publicise the impact of these amendments on the sporting and institutional levels. The webinar is part of an integrated plan adopted by the Judicial Department to develop and popularise the sports legislation in force worldwide, and particularly in the Arab region. At the opening speech of the webinar, Mr. Ahmed Ebraheem Al Marzouqi, Director of Support and Internal Operations Sector at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, welcomed the participants, explaining that the holding of this seminar at a distance was dictated by the measures and procedures decided by the enlightened government and out of respect for the principle of social distancing recommended by the World Health Organization to face the coronavirus pandemic. He also expressed his hope that similar events will be organised and that Abu Dhabi will physically host the participants in the near future. Mr. Al Marzouqi added that the webinar is organised by the Abu Dhabi CAS Alternative Hearing Centre, which was created in 2012 under the agreement concluded between the Judicial Department of Abu Dhabi and the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) to be the first seat of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) outside Switzerland. It aims to provide world-class services and to contribute to the efficient resolution of all types of sports-related disputes. He also wished to highlight the great success of the previous webinar entitled "An Insight into the World of Sports Law" and which was a record-breaking event in terms of participation as it brought together participants from more than 30 different countries. At the end of his speech, Mr. Al-Marzouqi thanked participants for attending the event to discuss the “Impact of the New World Anti-Doping Code" which came into force in early January 2021. He expressed his hope that this event and all the activities of the CAS Arbitration Centre in Abu Dhabi would achieve their objectives of providing useful and specialised training for all those involved in the CAS Arbitration Centre's proceedings and the laws governing sports disputes. It should be noted that the webinar on the “Impact of the New World Anti-Doping Code" was held with the participation of a panel of speakers and moderated by Brent Nowicki, Managing Counsel and Head of the Anti-Doping Division at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Chloe Veronica Syron, Legal Researcher at the Office of His Excellency the Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Professor Paul Greene, Professor of Sports Law and International Sports Lawyer, in addition to Ross Wenzel, an internationally renowned sports lawyer in anti-doping cases with the CAS. During the webinar, the speakers explained that the anti-doping code adopted in 2003 is subject to a periodic review every six years. It was updated in 2009 and 2015 in addition to the current update in 2021, noting that the two previous updates were more inclined to harden sanctions against those found guilty in doping cases, while the current update tends to be more flexible and to lighten the sanctions, taking into account a number of factors, including the admission of guilt by the athlete prior to the uncovering of any evidence of involvement in doping in addition to proof of good faith, and such proof must be provided by the athlete accused of doping according to the speakers. On the other hand, the speakers stressed that the code includes provisions for minors who are not held responsible for their actions by law, such as children, and this factor is seen as a mitigating factor in the sanction. They also highlighted the fact that the law includes specific provisions depending on the type of substance used depending on its seriousness and its effects.