Statement from WADA President, the Hon. John Fahey, following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reject the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) appeal against its non-compliance to the World Anti-Doping Code:

WADA acknowledges the decision of CAS to dismiss the appeal of the BOA against the decision of the WADA Foundation Board last November to declare the BOA non-compliant with the Code.

CAS has ruled that the BOA by-law imposing a lifetime ban from the Olympic Games is an extra sanction and is therefore non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The decision totally rejects the BOA appeal and upholds the WADA Foundation Board’s declaration of non-compliance. The Board is comprised of BOA’s peers and colleagues from the sport movement (including athletes) as well as representatives of world governments.

The WADA decision was taken only after the full deliberation and consideration of independent legal advice and WADA regrets the many hysterical and inaccurate public statements from the BOA in the course of challenging the WADA decision.

WADA has spent the last decade harmonizing the fight against doping in sport across the world by creating one set of rules in consultation and in accordance with the wishes of all its stakeholders, both sport and government.

In order to achieve this harmonization, the rules have had to be proportionate and respectful of the rights of individuals within the framework of international law. They are not based on emotive arguments or the wishes of any one signatory or individual.

As with all signatories, the BOA has the right to make submissions to amend the Code through the Code Review Process that is currently ongoing.

WADA statement on Blood U.V irradiation method following a series of articles in the German media:

In a letter to the German NADA on April 26, 2012, WADA confirmed the status of Blood U.V irradiation following a careful review of the method by independent experts.

WADA confirmed that the treatment – as presented to it – is considered a prohibited method under section M2 ‘Chemical and Physical Manipulation’ subsection 3 of the 2012 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, which section came into force on 1 January 2011.

WADA also confirmed to the German NADA that before January 1, 2011 the method should not be considered prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Program unless further evidence suggests that the actual method used and volume of blood manipulated falls under M1 or other sections of the Prohibited List.

As Blood U.V irradiation is still relevant in two pending cases of anti-doping rules violations, WADA must refrain from making any further comment in order to protect the integrity of the proceedings.

Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the City of Johannesburg put the finishing touches to their joint hosting of the 2013 World Conference on Doping in Sport by signing a memorandum of agreement at a ceremony attended by SRSA Minister Fikile Mbalula.

The agreement, signed by SRSA Director General Alec Moemi and City Manager Trevor Fowler, outlined the hosting responsibilities of each party for WADA’s fourth World Conference.

It was signed at the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton in the presence of Executive Mayor Parks Tau, the member of the mayoral committee for community development Chris Vondo, Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen, and WADA Regional Director for Africa Rodney Swigelaar.

During the ceremony Mr. Swigelaar gave an overview of the 2013 Conference – to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from November 13-15 – while a presentation was made highlighting Johannesburg’s credentials as a first-class sporting venue.

“We are humbled by the confidence WADA has in South Africa’s ability to host this prestigious event, which brings together leaders from various sectors of society, including the anti-doping, government, world sports administrators, business leaders, academics, athletes and others,” said Minister Mbalula.

“The decision for South Africa to bid for the Conference was based not only on the country’s ability to host the event but was premised on its total commitment to drug-free sport and anti-doping initiatives.

“We have complete confidence that together with the City we will leave a lasting impression on the delegates that attend the conference.”

WADA’s first World Conference was held in Lausanne, Switzerland in early 1999 and led to the creation of WADA later that year.

In 2003, representatives from across the world attended the second Conference in Copenhagen, during which the World Anti-Doping Code was approved.

Madrid hosted a third Conference in November 2007 and this culminated in the adoption of a revised version of the Code.

The Code is again under review and at the end of the two-year process an updated version will be adopted at the 2013 Conference.

WADA has reminded all Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) of their obligations with regards to the publication of annual statistics.

The provision of this information allows WADA to complete its required duty to publish a report of these statistics as outlined in the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).

Section 14.4 of the Code states that “Anti-Doping Organizations shall, at least annually, publish publicly a general statistical report of their Doping Control activities with a copy provided to WADA”.

Additionally, Section 14.5 states that “WADA shall act as the central clearing house for Doping Control Testing data” from Anti-Doping Organizations and “shall, at least annually, publish statistical reports summarizing such information”.

The ADO statistics are distinct from those submitted by WADA-accredited laboratories and therefore any discrepancies must be resolved between the relevant laboratories and testing authorities.

WADA is currently reviewing ways of improving the consistency of these two sets of figures in an effort to provide stakeholders with a more comprehensive view of global anti-doping activity.

WADA has granted accreditation to the London 2012 Anti-Doping Laboratory for the duration of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Laboratory, a satellite laboratory of the WADA-accredited Drug Control Centre at King’s College London, is located in Harlow, Essex in a facility provided to the Olympic and Paralympic Games by pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK).

“Achieving WADA accreditation means that the London 2012 Anti-Doping Laboratory will operate to the highest standards of sample analysis during the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said WADA President John Fahey.

“Doping athletes must know that there is a very good chance they will be tested this summer and that everything scientifically possible – and with the assistance of growing intelligence – will be done to make sure that their efforts to cheat are detected by the experts at the laboratory.”

The Laboratory will analyze up to 6,250 samples during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. One in every two Olympic athletes will be tested, including all medalists.

A team of 150 scientists will carry out the testing under the guidance of Professor David Cowan, Director of the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London.

WADA accreditation is based on two international standards – ISO/IEC 17025, and the International Standard for Laboratories.

During the accreditation process the laboratory undergoes a series of rigorous tests to establish its analysis credentials.

The process also involves several site visits from WADA’s Science Department and the ISO/IEC accrediting body prior to the granting of accreditation.

WADA has issued a call for proposals for its 2013 Social Science Research Program after identifying three areas that would benefit from increased scientific knowledge and evidence.

Applicants, who can be from universities, colleges, small businesses, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, are asked to submit proposals on one of the following three areas:

-    the causes of doping behavior or attitudes about doping, and the factors that influence these behaviors or attitudes

-    developing and evaluating anti-doping intervention

-    improving social science research on doping prevention

The final area concerns the design and validation of measurement tools, testing behavioral models, specific cultural or regional perspectives, and cross-cultural comparisons.

Proposals must be submitted no later than July 11, 2012.

All submissions will be evaluated by external peer reviewers, whose recommendations will then be examined by WADA’s Working Group and Education Committee before being presented to WADA’S Executive Committee for approval.

WADA will notify all applicants of the results by the end of November, 2012.

Further information regarding the 2013 Social Science Research Grant Program, including the application process, can be found on the WADA website under Application Guidelines.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) joined forces in early April to run an Outreach program at the World Cadet and Junior Fencing Championships in Moscow.

More than 250 athletes visited the Outreach booth during the four-day event (April 2-5) where they were welcomed by experienced anti-doping officials from RUSADA and FIE.

The athletes were encouraged to test their knowledge of anti-doping regulations by playing WADA’s Play True Quiz, and were provided with educational material stored on specially-designed USB wrist bands.

“The anti-doping community has to unite its efforts to meet the challenges of today and to improve the efficiency of anti-doping activities,” explained RUSADA Deputy Director Igor Zagorsky.

“RUSADA successfully collaborates with a number of international federations and National Anti-Doping Organizations, especially with regards to education.

“Joint educational projects aimed at young athletes are especially important in shaping public attitude to doping and in promoting the idea of clean sport. Outreach is an effective way to communicate with a young audience and get feedback.

“This tool also helps to identify gaps concerning anti-doping awareness and allows us to work out further steps for eliminating these gaps.”

RUSADA has been running Outreach programs – based on WADA’s Outreach model – since 2009 when it first adopted the initiative at the Russian Athletics Championships in Cheboksary.

WADA has paid recognition to the Canadian Centre of Ethics in Sport (CCES) for reaching its 20-year milestone as an international leader in the fight against doping in sport.

CCES marked the occasion at a celebration in Ottawa on Monday evening that was attended by WADA Director of Education and Program Development, Rob Koehler.

“WADA congratulates the CCES of reaching the milestone of 20 years of existence,” WADA President John Fahey said in a message to the CCES.

“The CCES has tracked a significant path since its inception and plays a major international role in the fight against doping in sport.

“Canada and the CCES have been notable supporters of WADA since our foundation and we trust that relationship and bond continues as we all go forward.”

The anniversary celebrations also recognized the contributions of three individuals in the fight against doping in sport: Dr. Christiane Ayotte, director of the WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal; Mr. Victor Lachance, the first chief executive officer of the CCES; and Dr. Andrew Pipe, who was chair of the CCES Board for 12 years and is a leading sports medicine physician.

“It’s a testament to the value of our work that each of our three honorees have been with us through our entire existence,” said Dr. Louise Walker, current chair of the CCES Board.

“Our vision of Canadian sport that is fair, safe and open inspires our partners and employees, and helps to mobilize all Canadians in support of this important outcome.”

WADA has started the application process for its 2012 Young Investigator Award.

The Award is designed to encourage masters-level students to focus their area of research on anti-doping issues.

WADA will allocate four prizes of US$2,000 each for outstanding and innovative research projects that will contribute to the development of effective doping prevention strategies.

“Our aim is to promote anti-doping as a research topic amongst masters students and to get a younger generation of researchers interested in anti-doping,” explained WADA Director of Education and Program Development Rob Koehler.

“All research is valuable and we hope that some of the masters students maintain an interest in anti-doping as they develop their research careers.”

The winners of the inaugural scheme were an international mix from Singapore, France, Norway and Australia.

The deadline for initial applications for the 2012 Award is June 6, 2012.

For further information, please click here or contact WADA’s Education Department at: ssr@wada-ama.org

The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) has joined the growing list of national anti-doping agencies to fully adopt the Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS).

Following ongoing advice and support from WADA, CHINADA started the process of ADAMS implementation in early 2011 and by November of last year a Chinese version of ADAMS – delivered by CHINADA – was online for athlete training purposes.

This allowed Chinese athletes included in the registered testing pools of international federations to familiarize themselves with the system, and also conformed to an IOC request that all athletes competing at London 2012 be able to register their whereabouts on the System.

CHINADA concluded the final stage of ADAMS implementation in early February, 2012 when it signed the ADAMS Users Agreement with WADA.

“CHINADA supports the international trend to use ADAMS as this helps to guarantee global harmonization in anti-doping,” said Mr. He Zhenwen, Director General of CHINADA.

“Using ADAMS will complete the successful link of China’s anti-doping system with common international practice.  It will further standardize the doping control process in China, improve efficiency and management, and enrich working resources.”

CHINADA already had in place an anti-doping management system before ADAMS became available for national anti-doping agencies and has successfully integrated that system into ADAMS.

The Agency intends to complete ADAMS training of its personnel by the end of 2012.

There are currently 62 national anti-doping agencies, 71 international federations and numerous national federations using ADAMS.