Home Ethics Doping “WADA will lead intelligence gathering funded by the IOC to make testing in the lead up to the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro as efficient and independent as possible”

“WADA will lead intelligence gathering funded by the IOC to make testing in the lead up to the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro as efficient and independent as possible”

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Excerpts from IOC President Thomas Bach’s speech at the opening session of the European Olympic Committees General Assembly in Prague:

“We are happy that the unanimously agreed initiative of the Olympic Summit of last October before all this happened has been taken up by WADA, an initiative to make the anti-doping system more independent of sports organisations. Therefore, following up on the broad discussions we had among the leaders of the Olympic Movement at the Olympic Summit I would like to give some food for thought to the WADA working group to consider the following three proposals for further discussion:

1. A Testing and Results management organisation within WADA should be set up independent from the monitoring and regulatory functions of WADA. Sports organisations would transfer their antidoping systems to this organisation and make the funding available initially at the level of their present investment in the fight against doping. This organisation should also coordinate the work of the National Anti-Doping Agencies to ensure a streamlined, efficient and worldwide harmonised anti-doping system. Governments – who are 50 per cent shareholders of WADA – should support this organisation alongside the sports movement, both logistically and financially.

2. Within this organisation a professional Intelligence Gathering Unit should be established. This would allow WADA to be proactive. The unit could address issues with regard to the compliance of National Anti-Doping Agencies and anti-doping laboratories accredited by WADA, at the earliest possible stage. This would help to make all such institutions compliant at all times and in such a way protect the clean athletes worldwide to the same level.

3. Sanctions could be pronounced only by CAS. In such a way also the system of sanctions would be centralised, be cost efficient and lead to harmonization among all sports and among all countries. The current right to appeal such sanctions to a different chamber of CAS would be fully upheld and guaranteed.

We are convinced that the adoption of these proposals in one or the other way would lead to a more efficient, more transparent, more streamlined, more cost efficient, more harmonized anti-doping system. It would better protect the clean athletes and enhance the credibility of sport.

The IOC, independent of this food-for-thought contribution, has already taking the first measures in this direction: WADA will lead intelligence gathering funded by the IOC to make testing in the lead up to the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro as efficient and independent as possible. Out-of-competition testing during the Olympic Games will also be guided by this intelligence group from WADA to make it more targeted and more effective. As in previous Olympic Games, WADA observers will also supervise all aspects of the doping control programme at the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro.”

This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.

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