Austrian legislation
The World Anti-Doping Code (in brief: Code) constitutes the basis of international anti-doping activities. It entered into force on 1 January 2004, with the revised Code becoming effective as of 1 January 2009. One of the purposes of the Code is to ensure harmonized, coordinated and effective anti-doping programs at the international and national level with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping. From a legal point of view, governments cannot be forced to comply with a non-governmental document such as the World Anti-Doping Code.
The following procedure was therefore adopted: Governments ratify the "International Convention against Doping in Sport", an international treaty which was unanimously adopted by 191 governments at the UNESCO General Conference in October 2005. This Convention provides the basis for governments to align their own anti-doping policies with the World Anti-Doping Code. Differences exist according to country depending on the individual legal and constitutional situation.
In Austria, the following laws deal with the issue of doping:
The Anti-Doping Federal Act (as amended by Federal Law Gazette I no. 146/2009)
The Anti-Doping Federal Act (Anti-Doping-Bundesgesetz; ADBG) was promulgated on 29 June 2007 and was first amended on 8 August 2008. As of 1 January 2010, the second amendment to the Anti-Doping Federal Act entered into force.
Compilation of all legislation related to the Anti-Doping Federal Act 2007 (PDF
Size: 149.87 KB)
The Medicines Act (as amended by Federal Law Gazette I no. 146/2009)
The Medicines Act (Arzneimittelgesetz; AMG) was last amended on 30 December 2009. Among other things, it provides the basis for penalizing the trafficking of doping substances and thus for prosecuting those behind the crime.
The Prescription Requirement Act (as amended by Federal Law Gazette I no. 146/2009)
The Prescription Requirement Act (Rezeptpflichtgesetz) was last amended on 30 December 2009 and regulates, among other things, the sale and distribution of doping substances.
Federal Sports Promotion Act (as amended by Federal Law Gazette I no. 146/2009)
The most recent amendment to the Federal Sports Promotion Act (Bundes-Sportförderungsgesetz; BSFG) entered into force on 1 July 2008. The funding of athletes and organizations is dependent on their compliance with the anti-doping rules.