POSTED: November 24th 2008
InDepth
WADA seals pact with Interpol
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
MONTREAL: Interpol is being brought formally on board the international fight against doping in sport – a move which strengthens the campaign’s legal investigative powers.
Leaders of the the World Anti-Doping Agency, meeting in Montreal over the weekend, approved a Memorandum of Understanding which sealed its links with the world’s largest police organisation.
Last month the general assembly of Interpol, headquartered in Lyon, had approved the memorandum which provides a framework for cooperation with WADA, in particular over issues such as evidence gathering and information sharing.
WADA’s Foundation Board, meeting in tandem with the executive committee, were told that the French government is seconding an officer to Lyon in a liaison role.
“WADA is grateful to the French Government for this contribution,” said the Hon. John Fahey, WADA’S president. “Recent high-profile doping cases have demonstrated that government action and the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies and anti-doping organizations can be crucial in exposing rule violations that would not have been detected through testing.
Investigative powers
“Law enforcement and government agencies possess investigative powers to attack source and supply of illegal substances which sport does not have. We need to ensure that cooperation between these two groups continues to strengthen in order to advance the fight against doping.”
WADA is also working with UNESCO and individual governments on the enactment of laws to combat the local manufacture, supply and possession of doping substances.
The provisions of the WADA Code mean sanctions can be imposed in cases where, despite the absence of a positive dope test, evidence is available that an anti-doping rule violation occurred.
The weekend meetings approved a greater flexibility in the application of sanctions and ratified the executive’s September decision to implement the new International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information on January 1, 2009.
Other discussions centred on advances in the development of the Athlete Passport concept and considered the first official Code Compliance Report.
Keywords · WADA · Interpol · World Anti-Doping Agency · French government · John Fahey
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