RIGA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A new government agency, the Anti-Doping Bureau, will be created in Latvia to ensure that Latvian athletes and teams are not barred from participation in international competitions and Olympic games, the Latvian government decided on Tuesday.
The Health Ministry along with the Education and Science Ministry are the authorities in charge of the Anti-Doping Bureau's creation in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) requirements.
The two ministries were also tasked with drafting the legislation necessary for establishing the national anti-doping agency. The draft legislation has to be submitted to the government by July 1, 2018.
Representatives of the Health Ministry explained that the Anti-Doping Bureau would take over the anti-doping competencies and activities from the Latvian State Center for Sports Medicine. The new agency has to be created to ensure the Latvian anti-doping organization's autonomy in accordance with international standards.
The Latvian Anti-Doping Bureau will be subordinated to the Health Ministry in that the ministry will be authorized to check the lawfulness of the agency's decisions and invalidate decisions that are found to be unlawful.
It is expected that the Latvian Anti-Doping Bureau will run an estimated 1,000 doping tests and organize at least 30 educational activities a year.
