The Hindu : Sport : WADA names ICC, FIVB among non-compliant federations

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WADA names ICC, FIVB among non-compliant federations

Special Correspondent

WADA recommended chess “cannot be seen as a case of non-compliance”
NADA is still in the process of becoming functional

NEW DELHI: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has named the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) among those organisations that have been found to be non-compliant with the anti-doping Code.

Volleyball is one of five sports disciplines that is part of the Olympic programme which has been found wanting in enforcement of the rules, particularly the out-of-competition testing regimen.

The other Olympic sports federations recommended to be placed in the non-compliant list are those in wrestling, gymnastics, handball and modern pentathlon.

The WADA management submitted its compliance report at its Executive and Foundation Board meetings in Montreal last weekend, but the Board ruled that no official declaration be made of non-compliance.

(Responding to a news item published in these columns on Tuesday, WADA’s Senior Manager, Media Relations, Frederic Donze, clarified that WADA had only decided not to declare non-compliant organisations officially after the Board voted to postpone any declaration till its next meeting in May 2009. The compliance report had been posted on the WADA website).

Among the federations recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), their sports being not part of the Olympic programme, cricket (ICC) and chess (FIDE) headed the list of 16 non-compliant bodies.

On a late submission by FIDE, WADA recommended that chess “cannot be seen as a case of non-compliance.”

The ICC and the others have been found not to have a consistent out-of-competition testing (OOCT) programme.

In reality, the ICC does not have an OOCT barring a pre-event and post-event phase. The ICC also does not have an anti-doping code that extends to all its member units and the players at all times.

Only a limited number of its affiliates have so far adopted an anti-doping code. All members are, however, expected to have anti-doping regulations in place by mid-2009.

Eight international federations were found to be having only a limited enforcement programme. They included boxing (AIBA), equestrian (FEI), basketball (FIBA) and table tennis (ITTF).

Late move

A late move by the Russian NADO ensured that it would not be named among the non-compliant organisations though it was listed as one originally.

Among the NADOs (or National Olympic Committees (NOCs) acting as NADOs), WADA named Chile, Cuba, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Jamaica, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay, among others, as not having rules in line with the Code. They were said to be in the process of adopting rules in line with the revised Code and were thus not recommended for inclusion in the non-compliant list.

Surprisingly, India finds itself among the NADOs/ NOCs that have rules in line with the Code. This group includes, among others, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

Apparently, WADA reviewed the anti-doping rules of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the newly-formed National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and found both were in order.

It is no secret that the IOA, which was supposed to act as the NADO in the absence of an established National anti-doping body, never had any anti-doping programme, especially during 2004-2006, the relevant period for compliance reporting, barring the testing done in the last two editions of the National Games. (It did not take up the positive cases that came up in the 2001 National Games in Punjab).

The OOCT, largely confined to “pre-departure” testing, was being carried out by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), which, however, did not have a set of anti-doping rules nor any powers to handle results management or sanctions.

The IOA Secretary-General, Randhir Singh, claimed on Wednesday that rules were incorporated by the IOA more than two years ago to fall in line with the Code.

The NADA is still in the process of becoming functional.

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