Africa-Press – Botswana. In finalising the proposed Anti-Doping Bill, 2025, it became clear that some provisions in the Botswana National Sports Commission Act 2014, overlap or duplicate what the new Anti-Doping Bill seeks to establish.
The Minister of Sport and Arts, Mr Jacob Kelebeng revealed this when presenting the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) (Amendment) Bill 2025 before Parliament for second reading on Thursday.
Despite having not yet matured, Mr Kelebeng proposed that the Bill proceed under a certificate of urgency as it was only published in the Government Gazette on July 23, saying some of the provisions that overlapped included powers related to anti-doping implementation and enforcement.He said the Bill sought to amend the BNSC Act Section 2, Cab 60:01, Deletion of Part X of the Act and Amendment of Section 43 of the Act to provide for the Anti-Doping Bill, 2025.
The legislation, he said, amended the aforementioned sections by providing migration of all anti-doping related provisions from the BNSC Act, 2014 into the Anti-Doping Bill, 2025 to avoid legal and functional duplication and ensured proper institutional alignment, as a consequence to the amendment of the Anti-Doping Bill 2025.
He expressed concern that at present, the anti-doping provisions were housed within the BNSC Act of 2014.
“While this framework has provided a starting point for anti-doping effort, it is no longer fit for purpose under the current requirements of the Convention and the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC),” he added.
By design, the minister said the BNSC was an implementing agency responsible for sport development, explaining that WADC required a clear separation between implementation and regulatory oversight to ensure independence, fairness and accountability in anti-doping matters. “It is, therefore, inappropriate for the BNSC to continue exercising both roles as it contravenes international standards and creates a conflict of interest that undermines the credibility of the national anti-doping programme,” he said.
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