Commission to fund doping in sport research
The European Commission has allocated funding totalling around 2.5 million euro for 15 research projects aimed at tackling the problem of doping in sport. The announcement was made on September 6, just one week before the start of the Olympic Games in Sydney which is widely seen as a crucial stage in the battle against illicit performance enhancing drugs. The projects, to be run by a range of national authorities and professional and amateur sports organisations, will concentrate on three key areas: the causes of the increase in doping, the protection of young athletes and strategies to raise awareness of the effects of doping. This research will form the first step in the Commission's plans to implement the proposals for combating doping in sport announced by Commissioner Viviane Reding in December last year. The European Parliament has agreed to allocate a total of 5 million euro during the current year for the Commission to establish research and pilot projects in this area. The European Parliament will also be debating a report on doping in sport by Spanish MEP Theresa Zabell on Thursday September 7.