Act on Iran’s Accession to the International Convention against Doping in Sport — 2009
Act on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping, adopted 13 October 2009 by the Islamic Consultative Assembly — the instrument that created Iran's international obligation in the fight against doping.
| Adoption | 13 October 2009 — public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly |
| Promulgation | 18 November 2009 — following approval by the Guardian Council |
| Constitutional basis | Article 123 of the Constitution |
| Instrument acceded to | International Convention against Doping in Sport (UNESCO, 2005) |
What did this Act do?
The 2005 UNESCO Convention provided a mechanism enabling States to give international legal effect to the World Anti-Doping Code. This Act is Iran's accession to that Convention, and from the date of its adoption it renders the Convention's provisions binding within the domestic legal system.
The missing link in a chain
The anti-doping system in Iran rests on three pillars, and this Act is the middle one:
- The World Anti-Doping CodeEnacted by the World Anti-Doping Agency — a private body whose rules bind only those who accept them.
- The UNESCO Convention and this Act of accessionThe commitment of the State of Iran to implement the principles of the Code within its territory.
- The regulations of the National Anti-Doping CommitteeDomestic implementation, resting on the two above.
Without this Act, Iran's commitment would have been purely sporting and not governmental. With it, the instruments available to the State — from border control and pharmaceutical regulation to laboratory funding and the prosecution of trafficking — are brought into the anti-doping system.
Who this Act matters to
For an athlete facing a doping case, this instrument explains why a State body plays a role in the process alongside the federation. For counsel, it is the basis for establishing the Iranian State's commitment to observing international standards, and may be invoked in defences that rely on those standards.
Full text of the Act
No. 40648/216, 9 November 2009
Act on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping
His Excellency Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Honourable President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
With reference to letter No. 97207/39772 dated 6 September 2008, in implementation of Article one hundred and twenty-three (123) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Act on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping — which was submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly under the title of the Bill on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping — having been adopted in the public session of Tuesday 13 October 2009 and approved by the Honourable Guardian Council, is hereby communicated as attached.
Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly — Ali Larijani
No. 164843, 18 November 2009
Physical Education Organisation
The Act on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping, which was adopted in the public session of Tuesday the thirteenth of October two thousand and nine by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, was approved by the Guardian Council on 4 November 2009 and was received under letter No. 40648/216 dated 9 November 2009 of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, is hereby communicated as attached for implementation.
President — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Act on the Accession of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Convention against Doping
Single Article — The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is hereby authorised to accede to the International Convention against Doping and its annexes, consisting of the 2005 Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Code (Annex I) and the conditions for granting therapeutic use exemptions for prohibited substances (Annex II), the World Anti-Doping Code (Appendix 1), the World Anti-Doping Code International Standard for Laboratories (Appendix 2) and the International Standard for Testing (Appendix 3), as attached, and to deposit the instrument of accession with the depositary.
The foregoing Act, comprising a single article together with two annexes and three appendices, was adopted in the public session of Tuesday the thirteenth of October two thousand and nine by the Islamic Consultative Assembly and was approved by the Guardian Council on 4 November 2009.
Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly — Ali Larijani