Bhutan Anti-Doping Committee

Bhutan Anti–Doping Committee (BADC)
Thimphu: Bhutan

On 3^rd November, 2003, the Royal Government of Bhutan signed the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sports. Since then, Bhutan continued to advocate and carry out anti-doping activities. Bhutan joined the South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SA-RADO) in 2007 to share experiences and collaboratively address anti-doping in sports. The SA-RADO office is based in Male, Maldives and is guided by the SA-RADO board which is represented by a member from member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka).

The Parliament of the Bhutan endorsed signing of the International Convention against Doping in Sports on the 18^th October 2011 during the 7^th Session of the 1^st Parliament. Accordingly, the Royal Government of Bhutan ratified the International Convention against Doping in Sports in 2011 and was officially endorsed by the UNESCO which came into effective from 1 January 2012. The primary purpose of the Convention is to promote the prevention of and the fight against doping in sports with an ultimate view to eliminate any forms of doping in sports.

It was then in 2010, the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC) assumed the role of the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) on an interim measure as setting up a new independent organization at that point of time was found to be resource intensive. Thus, with the consent of the WADA in 2011, the Bhutan Anti-doping Committee (BADC) was formed under the BOC to look after the anti-doping program in the country. The BADC is manned by a group of experts working on voluntary basis and is financially supported by the RGOB through the BOC. The BADC’s members include medical doctors, legal officers, sports administrators and doping control officers from relevant agencies.

BADC Mission:

To promote Clean Sport; to protect the health of athletes, uphold the integrity of sport and maintain fair flay at all levels.

BADC Programs:

The BADC in collaboration with national and international stakeholders to carry out the following programs but not limited to:

Enforce Bhutan Anti-Doping Rules: The BADC to conduct awareness and also ensure enforcement of the Bhutan Anti-Doping Rules, 2015.
Education Program: As a primary strategy to prevent and deter doping, BADC to carry out educational activities for children & youth, athletes, coaches, parents, support personnel and sports administrators.
Research and Intelligent: BADC will carry out research and intelligence activities to provide timely interventions and also detect the real dopers.
Anti-Doping Tests. The BADC to conduct in-competition and out of competition tests in a proficient manner.

Management: BADC to ensure that the anti-doping program is conducted in professional and effective manner respecting the rights of all concerned but limited to the anti-doping rules.

Bhutan Anti-Doping Committee (BADC) members (April, 2023)

Name	Parent Organization	BADC	Email address	Contact No.
Mr. Sonam Karma Tshering	Secretary General, Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC)	Chairman	[email protected]	17112006
Mr. Nima Gyeltshen	Chief Sports Coordinator, SSD, DEP, Ministry of Education and Skills Development	Director	[email protected]	17602631
Ms. Tshering Om	Dy. Chief Attorney, Office of the Attorney General	RM member & Coordinator	[email protected]	77468895
Dr. Kipchu Tshering	Assistant Professor, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan	TUE Coordinator & Education	[email protected]	17628245
Mr. Jigme Dorji	Sr. Regulatory Officer, Medical Product Division, BFDA	Member, TUE	[email protected]	17984308
Ms. Tshering Choden	Dy. Chief Pharmacist, Control Substances Medical Device Division (CSMDD), BFDA	Member, Education	[email protected]	17642244
Ms. Yeshi Pelden	Department of Public Health	Member, RM	[email protected]	77357366

Bhutan Anti-Doping Committee (BADC) Secretariat:

Name	Parent Organization	Function	Email address	Contact No.
Ms. Chimi Wangmo	BOC	Focal Person	[email protected]	17635145
Mr. Sonam Tshewang	BOC	Testing Coordinator	[email protected]	17835131

The following are some of the milestones of the BADC till date (2018):

Bhutan joined the global communities by signing the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sports on 3 November 2003 (forerunner to the UNESCO Convention) and thereafter took steps to foster Clean sports in the country.
Bhutan became a member of the South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SA-RADO) countries in 2007 to address doping in collaboration.
The Bhutan Anti-Doping Rules was developed for the first time in 2008. It was then amended in 2015 as per the revised World Anti-Doping Code, 2015.
The BADC was formed within the BOC on an interim measure to look after the anti-doping program.
Bhutan ratified the UNESCO’s International Convention against Doping in Sports in 2011 which formally came into effect from 1 January 2012.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the BADC/BOC and National Sports Federations & Associations in 2014 committing to fight doping collectively. A revised MoU was again signed in 2016 with the revision of the WADA Code, 2015 and also the Bhutan Anti-Doping Rules in 2015.
The BADC/BOC and Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education developed and circulated the anti-doping educational materials such as pamphlets, posters, post cards and videos.
The BADC developed logo and it is being is now exclusively used.
BADC Facebook is be launched and also separate section for anti-doping program is set up within the NOC’s website wit the required information/forms.
Athlete Health Book is being developed.
The Royal Government of Bhutan continues to pay the WADA’s contribution on an annual basis.
The Good News! So far there are no cases of Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADVR) although Bhutanese athletes are tested within and outside the country.

BADC material