CJEU: publication of athletes who violate anti-doping rules compatible with GDPR

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled in Case C-474/24 that publishing the names of professional athletes who violate anti-doping rules online can be compatible with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), provided that data protection and the safeguarding of sporting integrity are carefully considered beforehand.

The CJEU ruling clarified that member states may permit the online publication of an athlete's name, the duration of their ban, and the reasons for the ban. However, any national anti-doping legislation must comply with the GDPR. Specifically, the body responsible for publication must balance competing interests before publication, and the duration of the online disclosure must strictly adhere to the principle of proportionality. Furthermore, affected athletes must have the right to lodge preventive complaints with data protection authorities (DPAs) if they have indications that a publication is imminent.

The ruling comes less than a year after CJEU Advocate General (AG) Dean Spielmann issued a non-binding Opinion suggesting that publicly posting the names of professional athletes who violate anti-doping rules is contrary to EU law. 

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