USOC renew call for independent anti-doping agency

[March 11, 2017]  (Reuters) - The United States Olympic Committee renewed its call for an independent global anti-doping agency in a position paper issued on Friday ahead of a World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium at the weekend.

The USOC has been vocal in a call for an overhaul of the global anti-doping effort, including a restructuring of WADA.

"Doping is a global problem and requires a global solution that does not depend on individual countries or sport organizations for enforcement," the USOC said.

"While there are numerous effective national anti-doping organizations currently in place around the world, there must also be a clearly independent anti-doping body with overriding global authority of those national anti-doping organization (NADO) programs, with the responsibility to test, investigate, and sanction when necessary – ensuring consistency across countries and sports."

The USOC has also lobbied strongly for increased funding and powers for WADA that would see the agency have direct involvement in athlete testing, a clear role in checking and certifying national anti-doping organizations and laboratories as well as putting place rules that will provide greater protection for whistleblowers.

The cornerstone to the USOC's proposal is an independent WADA that would not be governed by the sports organizations it works with and monitors.

The USOC believes no person serving in a governance role in the IOC, any National Olympic Committee, International Federation or Association of National Olympic Committees should serve in a governance role for WADA.

Currently the WADA presidency rotates between representatives of governments and sporting bodies.

United States Olympic Committee president Lawrence F. Probst III talks about the USOC selecting Boston as its applicant city to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the Boston Convention Center and Exhibition Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

"We heard from (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart) about a lot of the details of the (Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations) declaration," USOC chairman Larry Probst said on Thursday after a board of directors meeting. "He shared his views with us on the reasons for the positions they were taking.

"We shared with him a one-page policy statement regarding the reforms and as result of the conversations we had made some modifications to that and wanted to make sure we got position paper out before the WADA reform meeting this Saturday in Lausanne."

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)

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