Results Management Directive of the Iran National Anti-Doping Organization (IRI-NADO) – 2015 edition
Results Management Directive of the Iran National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) — the instrument that sets out the procedure for domestic doping cases, from receipt of the report of a violation through to the final decision.
| Enabling basis | Charter of the National Anti-Doping Organisation, approved 16 July 2014 by the Ministry of Sport and Youth |
| Parent instrument | "IRAN-NADO Anti-Doping Rules" (IRAN-NADO Anti-Doping Rules) |
| WADA approval | 14 January 2015 |
| Stated purpose | To set out a fair and just hearing process in cases of violation |
What this directive determines
Article 1 defines the scope: the addressees of this directive are the national federations and each of the members or bodies affiliated to a national federation in Iran — including athletes, athlete support personnel, and any club, team, association or sporting group. The results management process begins upon receipt of cases of violation and continues until a final decision is issued.
Article 2 takes the definition of doping from the rules of the Organisation and enumerates the forms of violation: the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in an athlete's sample; use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or method; and evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection.
One provision that is repeatedly disputedClause 1-2
The directive states expressly that the Organisation's anti-doping rules, like the rules of competition, are sporting rules, and that the athlete is required to accept them as one of the conditions of participating in competition. It then states more explicitly that these rules are not drafted on the basis of criminal or employment law and that their sanctions do not fall within the category of civil or criminal penalties; they relate solely to the rules governing participation in sporting competition.
This distinction bears directly on the defence: principles that are taken for granted in criminal proceedings do not always operate in the same way in doping proceedings, and conversely, a sporting suspension applies independently of any possible criminal prosecution.
Who this document matters to
Every athlete in Iran whose sample has returned a positive result, and every federation or club with a role in the process, falls within the scope of this directive. For sports lawyers, this text is the road map of the domestic proceedings and must be read together with the "IRAN-NADO Anti-Doping Rules", because the directive itself states that any interpretation required is governed by that body of rules.