São Tomé and Príncipe becomes 190th country to ratify UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce that the African nation of São Tomé and Príncipe has become the 190th State Party to ratify the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport (UNESCO Convention). This leaves just five countries worldwide that have yet to complete their ratification of the UNESCO Convention.
 
WADA President Witold Bańka said: “It is always a moment of celebration for WADA and clean sport when another nation signs up as a State Party to the UNESCO Convention. It demonstrates to us and the rest of the world that São Tomé and Príncipe is serious about its commitment to anti-doping.
 
“The aim of the UNESCO Convention is to bring nations together, united in the common mission of protecting sport. It has assisted WADA in its efforts to bring consistency and harmonization to anti-doping policy around the globe. Almost all Governments of the world have now pledged their support to clean sport and it is vitally important that they implement it effectively in their respective countries for the good of athletes everywhere.
 
“São Tomé and Príncipe is the second African country to ratify the UNESCO Convention within the past 12 months, which shows an increasing level of dedication to clean sport in the region. We sincerely hope that the outstanding nations from Africa and other regions will follow in due course.”
 
The Convention, which was adopted on 19 October 2005, is the practical instrument by which governments formalize their commitment to the fight against doping. It allows governments to align their domestic policies with the World Anti-Doping Code, thus harmonizing the rules governing anti-doping in sport and public legislation. Under UNESCO standards, the Convention has set records in terms of the speed with which it was prepared, adopted and ratified.
 
See the complete list of countries that have ratified the UNESCO Convention.