Africa-Press – Botswana. Parliament has passed the Anti-Doping Bill, 2025 (Bill No. 18 of 2025), which is expected to establish a National Anti-Doping Organisation.
Reporting the Bill from committee stage with amendments on Monday, Minister of Sport and Arts, Mr Jacob Kelebeng explained that once the National Anti-Doping Organisation was established, it would be the principal regulatory instrument for anti-doping in the country.
He expressed concern that the current arrangement, where Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), mandated to develop sport, was also expected to lead the anti-doping efforts by law, presented a clear conflict of interest in line with the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC).
“It is a counter to the international best practice, which calls for a functional separation between implementing agencies and anti-doping regulatory authorities.
It is against this backdrop that I bring to this House the proposal for the dedicated Anti-Doping Bill 2025,” he explained.
Key issues to be presented by the Bill, Mr Kelebeng said included the role clarity between implementing agencies and oversight regulatory organs, such as Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and BNSC, who were responsible for implementation of national sport development programmes and the WADC, which presented a conflict situation and compromise objectivity.
He said establishment of an independent anti-doping organisation, would also provide a firm legal foundation for anti-doping activities, testing, investigations, enforcement and education.
Through the Bill, the minister said law enforcement agencies, including the police, would be empowered to investigate and take action against individuals and networks involved in the supply, trafficking or administration of prohibited substances to protect athletes from health risks associated with doping, safeguard the integrity of sport and enhance and strengthen the current anti-doping efforts, which had operated under limited structural and legal support.
“It is important to note that this Bill is not about starting from zero. It is about building on what we have, reinforcing existing efforts and equipping our institution with the independence, authority and clarity needed to do work more effectively and in line with global standards,” said the minister. He said they must also recognise that doping was not just about cheating to win.
“It is also about exposing athletes to serious health hazards, from cardiovascular issues to hormonal disruption and psychological effects.
The damage caused by performance-enhancing drugs can be lifelong,” he added.
By enacting the Bill, Minister Kelebeng said the country was not only preventing unfair advantage, but was also safeguarding lives and investing in sustainable, clean sporting careers.
He expressed concern that recent developments had exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s current anti-doping framework, with worrying rise in positive doping cases, particularly in disciplines of athletics, rugby and softball.
These cases, he said did not only endanger the well-being and careers of athletes, but also jeopardised the country’s reputation in the international sporting arena.
As Botswana looked ahead to host international sporting events, especially in light of the country’s growing ambition to unlock the potential of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions industry, he said it was crucial to ensure that the local system met expectations of the global sport community.
“A robust anti-doping framework, will therefore position Botswana as a credible host, a trusted sporting partner and a country that takes integrity seriously.
Let us send a clear and unified message that Botswana stands for clean sport, that we’ll support our athletes to succeed with honour, not shortcuts, and that we are committed to strengthening every effort; past, present and future, toward a doping-free sporting environment,” he added.
Giving a brief background, the minister said on March 3, 2003, Botswana signed the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sport and also acceded to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Convention Against Doping in Sport on August 6, 2009.
As a signatory to the convention, he said Botswana was expected to undertake to adopt appropriate measures to achieve the objectives of the convention, which included the; development of legislation that would, among other things, make taking performance-enhancing substances unlawful and to establish structures that would implement the legislation.
However, although the country had yet to establish a National Anti-Doping Organisation, the minister said government had previously approved the establishment of a National Anti-Doping Coordinating Office within the former Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, through the Presidential Directive Cab. 21 (A) 2020, as an interim arrangement.
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