United Kingdom: Christians and sport” “

They are Christians and sportsmen and for them physical exercise is a way of praising God. “Christians in Sport”, an ecumenical association founded within the Church of England, and now spread in 40 universities, with over a thousand members, has as its mission evangelizing the world of sport. The slogan of the association, founded in the 1970s, is a phrase taken from the thoughts of Eric Liddell, the athlete hero of the film “Chariots of Fire”, “God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel His pleasure”. “We want to speak to everyone about Jesus because it’s the most important thing in our life”, explains Andrew Wingfield Digby, director of “Christians in Sport”, a vicar in the Church of England, a father of three children, with a past as a sportsman. Digby does not overlook the problem of doping: “It’s a problem very widespread also in the world of football – he says – and Christian athletes ought to give a good example”. “Unfortunately however there exists a very strong social pressure to be successful in sport and as a consequence people succumb to these temptations. But that ought not to be so for Christian athletes for whom, on the contrary, sport in a celebration of the gifts of God. That is the significance of the sporting talent, a gift of God to be shared with others”. So it’s not a matter of winning at all costs. “The persons should always count more than a victory”, continues Digby. “It’s important to excel, but for God, not for ourselves. What counts is giving the best of oneself, but always thinking of God. Even when we lose or fail, we are perfect in the eyes of God. Unfortunately today this Christian ethic has become very difficult to practice due to money”. Andrew Wingfield Digby’s conviction that doping is widespread in the world of English football is also shared by Dr. Michel D’Hooghe, chairman of the medical committee of Fifa, who in an interview, extensively quoted in the main British dailies, declared that the most famous English footballers use doping substances to improve their performance. Though no English football player has yet tested positive to random controls, in contrast to what has happened in Italy, Spain and Germany, the use of doping is also widespread in Great Britain. D’Hooghe’s point of view is confirmed by Gordon Taylor, director of the Professional Footballers’ Association, according to whom players have too high a number of matches to play and would not be able to cope with the strain that this involves without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Silvia Guzzetti – London An international antidoping accord The UK has hitherto not had a law that specifically concerns doping, but only legislation that treats the issue in general terms. There exists a law of 1971 (art.38 on the use of drugs) and a Medicine Act of 1968. More structured, on the other hand, is the international sports legislation that sees the UK present in an international coordination against doping together with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and European countries like Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway and Sweden. This is the international antidoping accord (“IADA”) which has as its prime objective the improvement of the quality of antidoping controls. The most important points of the accord include the involvement of athletes in monitoring, and a training scheme aimed also at coaches, managers and families. The accord also regulates the legal aspects and the penalties prescribed for those who use performance-enhancing drugs.