The responsibilities of the former anti-doping agency have been expanded
On April 1st, ALIS, the successor organization to the former anti-doping agency ALAD, was presented at the “Coque” in Kirchberg. The name change reflects the new responsibilities; ALIS stands for “Agence Luxembourgeoise pour l’Intégrité dans le Sport” (Luxembourg Agency for Integrity in Sport).
Sports Minister Martine Hansen was present at the event. For her, it’s a kind of homecoming: as Minister of Agriculture, she oversees ALVA, the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration, which regulates animal welfare and also has an impact on equestrian sports. ALIS will now be responsible for doping, safeguarding, and match-fixing offenses, replacing ALAD – and these areas involve not only the FLSE as a sports federation and COSL member. According to the Sports Minister, there is a commitment to guaranteeing clean and transparent sport.
While the “Enhanced Games” mentioned by ALIS Director Loïc Hoscheit, which will take place for the first time in Las Vegas (USA) at the end of May, do not apply to equestrian sports, past experience has shown that elite athletes in all disciplines must adhere to current anti-doping laws. The fundamental right to a sport free of doping must be defended, according to the former handball player from HB Dudelange. New testing methods are now so precise that positive results can occur even if athletes have not doped. The downside is that actual doping offenders then try to hide behind such overly precise tests.
Like any sport, equestrian sports are also subject to the concept of “safeguarding.” Specifically, this involves protecting children and young people from abuse, exploitation, and bullying. It encompasses both physical and verbal violence, which cannot be tolerated, as well as racism and sexual harassment, among other things. According to Hoscheit, one example is trainers who yell at their young charges. He explained that such methods rarely improve performance.
Fewer than 29 percent of all Luxembourgish sports federations currently have structures in place for reporting such problems. To process cases brought to ALIS, the new agency can count on a network of professionals, including those from the legal and medical fields. Referring serious cases to the justice system is also ALIS’s responsibility, according to Hoscheit. Suspected cases can be reported confidentially or anonymously online via the website of the “Agence Luxembourgeoise pour l’Intégrité dans le Sport” ( www.alis.lu ).
Safeguarding was incorporated into the FLSE statutes even before the establishment of ALIS. Safeguarding has been a topic of discussion at the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for some time. The FLSE’s new statutes now also refer to ALIS in the area of anti-doping, whereas previously they referred to ALAD. Should suspected cases be reported to the Luxembourg Equestrian Federation (FLSE), it will forward them to ALIS.
The second new area for which ALIS is responsible is competion- or match-fixing. This mainly concerns popular ball sports. A Google search for “match-fixing” in conjunction with “equestrian sports” primarily yields articles on (anti-)doping and animal cruelty, which in turn relates to the original remit of the former ALAD or, as mentioned earlier, the ALVA.
Translated from German by AI and adjusted by Paul Krier. Original article also to be published in the “Lëtzebuerger Bauer” weekly newspaper.