The Hon. John Fahey, AC, WADA President
Every other year, the Olympic and Paralympic Games bring a special focus to athletic excellence. Thousands of the best athletes in the world compete for the ultimate honours. The high stakes that come with the Games require rigorous anti-doping measures to protect the integrity of the competitions.
Less than two years ago, as the eyes of the world were focused on Beijing, enhanced coordination between the various parties involved in the fight against doping in sport — WADA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), International Sport Federations, and National Anti-Doping Organizations — had a powerful impact on clean sport. A significant number of athletes were prevented from participating in the Games for violating anti-doping rules in the weeks preceding the event. A number of additional anti-doping rule violations were detected during the Games and, in the following months, even more were uncovered through further analysis of samples with newly developed detection methods.
I am confident that the same kind of coordinated anti-doping measures will help maintain the integrity of the Vancouver Games. Thanks to the strict measures implemented by the IOC and the IPC, in coordination with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), clean athletes can be confident that significant efforts are being made to protect their right to compete on a level playing field.
WADA itself will assume a number of roles in the lead-up to, and during, the Games. These include pre-Games testing, review of Therapeutic Use Exemptions, WADA's right to appeal decisions, the participation of Independent Observers, and the presence of Athlete Outreach Teams in the Athlete Villages. You will read more about these various roles in the following pages of Play True.
Will these efforts of anti-doping organizations ensure that the Vancouver Games will be clean? I could not say so. In sport, as in other areas of society, human behaviour is rarely predictable, and there will always be athletes who will attempt to get an edge over their competitors in any possible way. But one thing is clear to me: those who may take the risk to dope in the lead-up to or during the Vancouver events will have more chances of being caught than at any past Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Since the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) in 2004, the global fight against doping in sport has made a giant leap forward. More sports have started conducting out-of-competition testing, as required under the Code. Governments have become more and more involved on many different fronts, including supporting national testing programs. Testing tactics themselves have become smarter, more targeted, with experience and the help of law enforcement investigations that contribute to uncovering key information related to possible anti-doping rule violations. In addition, significant advances have been made in anti-doping science.
“It is the responsibility of all countries, sport federations, the athlete entourage, and ultimately athletes, to ensure that the Games are a platform for true and honest athletic excellence rather than a source of embarrassment for them.”
While this progress is heartening, it is the responsibility of all countries, sport federations, the athlete entourage, and ultimately athletes, to ensure that the Games are a platform for true and honest athletic excellence rather than a source of embarrassment for them. Countries and sports should ensure that only their clean athletes participate in the Games. Athlete entourage have a powerful role to play in encouraging athletes to be their very best naturally. Athletes, more than anyone else, can make a difference by displaying their commitment to healthy values.
As the independent international organization responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring the global fight against doping in sport, WADA works on a 24–7–365 basis to ensure an engaging environment for clean athletes, whether or not they participate in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. As the world shifts its gaze to Vancouver, it is my hope that the athletes present will justify their privilege of participating in the Games by choosing to reject doping and promoting the true spirit of sport.