The proposed Law on Anti-Doping in Sport in Angola began to be discussed in Parliament, in general, only at the beginning of February, having been approved on Friday, in particular, and on the 28th of the current month it will go to the final global vote.
A few months before the Paris2024 Olympic Games, for which Angola has already secured qualification in handball, female seniors, rowing, with athlete André Matias, and canoeing, with Manuel António and Benilson Sanda, the deputy of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) Olívio N'kilumbo criticized the President, João Lourenço, for eliminating sport from the list of priorities.
"Firstly, we must regret it and secondly, we must hold it accountable. The failure was on the part of the executive, especially President João Lourenço, because what we know is that this document was received in October and if there was an urgent need to look at sport as a factor of power, this document should be sent to parliament and the onus would be on parliament for not scheduling an urgent debate to send a document of this size", he said.
The deputy from the largest opposition party lamented the fact that the Government is now seeking to sacrifice "victims", citing the recent dismissal of Palmira Barbosa from the position of Minister of Youth and Sports, as an example.
According to the parliamentarian, this situation "puts Angola in an uncomfortable situation, because sport has its political and economic value, but it also has its social value of projecting states internationally".
"If we are away from international competitions because we were disorganized, it is the fault of President João Lourenço and his executive who do not look at sport as a factor of power and who do not have priorities" he said.
Navita Ngolo, also a UNITA deputy, recalled that like this law, others are shelved, due to the Government's lack of speed.
Angola's suspension from international competitions will continue until Angolan sports law is in compliance with the statutes of the umbrella anti-doping organization, which will then have to reintegrate the Angolan Olympic Committee, which functions as the national organization anti-doping in Angola.
MPLA deputy Palmira Barbosa also recognized the importance of urgent approval of the law and expressed confidence in Angola's return to international competitions in a short space of time.
"The approval of this law is extremely important for Angola's participation in all international competitions, not only for athletes, but also for leaders who hold positions in international bodies and organizations. Deputies already know the importance and appreciation of this law for the continued participation of Angolan sport at international level as soon as possible," he said.
With this suspension, the Angolan flag will not be able to be raised in international competitions, in addition to the COA being prevented from hosting or organizing any events and its representatives are ineligible for positions in the AMA.
In the document, the world body explained that on September 22, 2023, it issued a statement reporting the non-conformities on the part of Angola, giving another four months to change them, without these corrections having taken place.
