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≡ WADA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ≡
The war of words between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency over its handling of the mass-positives incident involving 23 Chinese swimmers in January 2021 and the subsequent agreement to no-sanctions-via-contamination holding has not abated.
But there is movement, coming out of the WADA Executive Board meeting held Thursday.
The meeting news release highlighted three efforts by WADA to address issues raised out of the Chinese swimmers incident and by USADA:
● While WADA reiterated its view that the report commissioned by it from Swiss regional attorney general Eric Cottier exonerated it, the report also includes some harsh commentary on WADA policies and procedures in the case, especially related to the agency’s confused processes. So:
“[T]the ExCo approved the creation of the WADA Working Group on Contaminations (WGC), including its Terms of Reference and Composition.
“The WGC will be responsible for conducting a global review on sources of contamination leading to adverse analytical findings (AAFs) and anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) in sport. It will also provide guidance and recommendations to the ExCo on potential improvements to the regulations and processes to further take into account the risk of such contaminations, while also maintaining an efficient anti-doping system.”
WADA chief Witold Banka (POL) observed:
“As has been highlighted recently by the Chinese swimmers cases and several other cases, the issue of contamination is real and growing. It is crucial that WADA and its clean sport partners address it head on. More and more, we are seeing those who test positive put forward contamination defenses.
“Our challenge is to distinguish between cases of genuine contamination versus those who dishonestly seek to use it in an attempt to avoid sanction. It is a fine balance. If the system is too strict and rigid, innocent athletes will suffer injustice. If the system is too lenient, cheats will prosper. This is one of the key challenges that the clean sport community now faces.”
● Banka also mentioned the WADA Taskforce on Unintentional Doping “which will shortly be calling for input from the community on this topic,” addressing another issue on which USADA and other national anti-doping organizations have been vocal.
● Finally, one of the questions raised during the 2021 Chinese swimmers incident was reporting from the German ARD documentary “The China Files,” that the CHINADA report that cleared the swimmers was created by the Chinese government’s Ministry of Public Security, not the anti-doping agency! So, now:
“[T]he ExCo discussed the setting up of a Working Group on the Operational Independence of National Anti-Doping Organizations (WGOI) to explore further the issue of National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) independence, which is mandatory under the Code. A decision on the establishment of the WGOI will be made by the ExCo in due course.”
Observed: Interesting, very interesting. WADA isn’t giving an inch (cm?) on its insistence that it was cleared by the Cottier report, which is true only insofar as the questions it asked Cottier to consider. But the report ripped the agency apart on its sloppy procedures, processes and follow-up to a serious mass-doping incident.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart has trashed WADA again and again for not following its own rules and having a better way to deal with the hard-to-prove or disprove contamination cases … and the role of the Chinese government in the swimmers incident, instead of CHINADA handling the matter on its own.
Also, Tygart has been after WADA to fix its rules on unintentional doping, including the reporting requirements.
None of the announcements from Thursday will satisfy WADA’s critics, especially Tygart. But they are clearly moves toward the positions he and other national anti-doping agencies have taken on needed WADA reforms. Progress of a sort, and for now, anything helps.
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There was more from the ExCo meeting of note:
● No date for the doping-encouraged Enhanced Games has been announced, but it was stated that the site may be in the U.S. WADA condemned it again, with Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI) saying, “Allowing this event to go ahead would put the health of athletes and the integrity of sport at grave risk.”
● As for finance, “the ExCo discussed and expressed concern regarding the shortfall in WADA’s 2024 funding due to the withholding of funding by the previous United States administration.” There is a lot of work to do to mend fences with the U.S. government, but no initiative was announced.
● Iran was confirmed as non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, with “non-conformities” in the area of testing. Sanctions will apply as of 18 April 2025; no flag or anthem penalties apply yet, but could be imposed in 2026.
WADA elections for President and Vice President – incumbents Banka and Yang Yang (CHN) are expected to be re-elected – will be held in an online Foundation Board meeting on 29 May.
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