The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) wrapped up the AFC Member Association Anti-Doping Programme webinar on Monday, highlighting the confederation’s desire to strengthen the honour and fairness of football in Asia.
With 40 Member Associations (MAs) present, the AFC’s webinar was designed to educate MAs on the recently implemented AFC Anti-Doping Activities and Monitoring System, a broad sweeping process aiming to standardise anti-doping practices across the confederation.
Designed to modernise Asian anti-doping practices, the AFC Anti-Doping Activities and Monitoring System is helping to transition MAs from paper-based data collection to digital alternatives. Through this, MAs will be able to observe and record doping activities far easier and will be in compliance with the AFC Anti-Doping Regulations and World Anti-Doping Code.
The AFC Anti-Doping Activities and Monitoring System also includes a number of tools to help boost MAs anti-doping effectivity, such as real-time data submission and secure access controls. Additionally, the system includes provisions to conducting educational programs, recording anti-doping violations, and programme testing.
Saudi Arabian Football Federation Medical Committee Member, Dr. Khalid Awad, outlined the importance of the anti-doping webinar.
“It was a pleasure to be part of the discussions and to learn more about this new system. I feel it has great potential to strengthen collaboration among MAs,” he said in a press release.
“We can use the platform not only to safeguard the integrity of our sport but also to develop more ways to educate ourselves and help our athletes perform at their highest levels.”
Pakistan Football Federation Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Muhd Azam Khan expressed his satisfaction for the AFC’s commitment to modernising anti-doping practices in Asia.
“This is an excellent step by the AFC to digitise records. It will serve as a stimulus for the growth and development of MAs,” he said via press release.
“Additionally, I am confident it will motivate us to organise more capacity-building initiatives in our respective federations.”
The webinar also allowed the AFC and MAs to share the discoveries of a recent AFC survey, which aimed to discover the unique problems each MA has in regard to doping in football.