By Azernews

By Rasana Gasimova

Azerbaijan’s National Anti-Doping Agency (AMADA) jointly with the Azerbaijani IT company Technofusion plans to launch a unified register of athletes in the country based on blockchain technology in April 2020, Executive director of AMADA Shafag Huseynli told local media.

"We plan to introduce this system in April 2020. In addition to building our database on the basis of block-chain technologies, we plan to create a section for registering athletes," Huseynli said.

Huseynli emphasized that before the introduction of the system, a pilot project will be implemented with one of the sport federations.

She also noted that it is also planned to introduce a new education system in 2020.

“We are creating an Athlet advisory commission. Since the end of 2018, we began to attract our athletes. The commission provides 12 places, two of them are voluntary, and the remaining 10 will be selected by drawing of lots among representatives of 10 federations and the National Olympic Committee. Further, the rotation principle will apply, and other federations will also be able to participate," Huseynli said.

Huseynli noted that members of the commission will hold meetings four times a year. She said that on the basis of these meetings, they will draw up reports for AMADA for further work in the field of education. She also added that in 2019 the agency held over 100 educational events, including 30 seminars attended by 884 athletes.

Touching upon the work that the agency has done over the year, Huseynli noted that AMADA conducted 1,350 tests that revealed 16 cases of anti-doping rule violations in 2019.

"Some 1,350 tests that revealed 16 violations were carried out this year. Since the year has not yet been completed, the tests will continue until the end of the year. Accurate data will be revealed at the beginning of next year," Huseynli said.

She emphasized that four cases of doping were identified in weightlifting, four in boxing, two in karate, two in wrestling, and one each in shooting, sambo, judo and athletics.

Huseynli added that in 2019 the number of samples taken for testing increased by 56.4 percent compared to that in 2018, and 3,1 times compared to 2017.

She added that in 2020, AMADA will begin testing for doping in two more federations - powerlifting and kickboxing.

AMADA (Azerbaijan National Anti-Doping Agency) was established on December 23, 2016. The main goal of the Agency is to fight against the use of doping substances and doping methods in sport and prevent manipulation in sport and pressure on the athletes.

In November 2016, the Azerbaijani Parliament also approved a bill on "Fight against the use of doping agents or methods in sport".  Under the bill, for the use of force, blackmail, dissemination of defamatory information, in respect of athlete, sports doctor, coach, sponsor, or their close relatives are punishable by imprisonment for up to three years. If these are accompanied by violence that threats life or health, those people will be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to six years.