An appeal for a "clean, sound and ethical" sport was made by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (COE), Terry Davis, today, following the news coming from Tour de France, concerning athletes caught doping. "What is happening at Tour said Davis must encourage us to double our efforts to prevent every fraud, and to promote a sound, clean and ethical sport". "I want to send a message of hope and trust to the vast majority of sportspeople who compete loyally, to the sport officers who commit themselves against doping without compromises, and to the professional physicians who act ethically. The Anti-Doping Convention of COE he confirmed is still a model for world struggle, fair-play and clean sport". Today, the 1988 COE Convention against doping, adopted in 1989, is the only juridical instrument in this sector, and it is meant to reduce access to doping substances, to foster financing of controls, and to put the public financing of leisure or competition sports in relation with respect of the Anti-Doping regulation. The Convention was integrated by an additional protocol which came into force in 2004. According to that protocol, there is mutual acknowledgement of controls. It also allows the control organs of a signing State to operate without previous warning.
