The National Council of Sports (NCS) together with the Uganda Olympic committee (UOC) has met with sports stakeholders to discuss the National Sports Anti-Doping Regulations 2025.
The meeting brought together leaders and officials from sports federations associations to discuss ways of fighting doping in sport for fair competition.
Dr. Donald Rukare, the Uganda Olympics Committee (UOC) President says that things that the NADO has been doing and will continue to do is education. It is important that athletes are educated and we have been having workshops to have athletes educated on what is on the prohibited list.
“If you are an athlete, whatever medicine or food you take or during must be monitored by the team doctor of your respective federation., there are also expectations for medication, you can apply to the international federation if you are an elite athlete, you are domestic athletic you apply to your NADO,” revealed Rukare.
Professor Celestino Obua, the Chairperson of the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) revealed that the process to fully legalize and implement the regulations is ongoing.
“It is our prayer that we have engaged the federations and associations not only for them to participate but for them to know that there is a regulation coming in place which we expect them to implement,” he noted.
Brighton Barugahare, the Chairperson of the Anti-Doping Regulations Task Force hopes that the new rules will improve sports standards in Uganda.
“NADO is meant to be independent but also to ensure that we minimise doping cases which can affect the credibility of sports and generally lead to the banning of the country from participating in international sports,” noted Barugahare.
In the 2026/27 budget framework paper presented by the National council of sports to the education committee of parliament, the sports regulatory body requested for Shs5bn for the newly instituted National Anti-Doping Organization.
Federation representatives were happy with the workshop, pledging to implement the guidelines as enlightened.
The National sports Act was amended in 2024 to align the provisions of the National Sports Act, Cap. 151 relating to antidoping, with the World Anti-Doping Code and to provide for related matters.
President Museveni signed the amended bill into law last year following a warning by the World Anti-Doping Agency to block Ugandan athletes from participating in international competitions if Uganda failed to align its laws with the global Anti-doping laws.
