UCI and USADA Collaborate to Combat Doping -- Federations Focus

(ATR) The International Cycling Union is joining forces with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to streamline anti-doping efforts.

The partnership will enhance communication between the two organizations as well as the sharing of anti-doping information such as athlete biological passport data, intelligence, investigations and testing missions.

"Signing a sharing agreement with one of the most important stakeholders in the field of anti-doping is another testimony to the tremendous progress we have made in the past three years in rebuilding trust in the UCI," said UCI president Brian Cookson.

The federation will also collaborate with USADA to create testing plans for UCI events hosted in the United States. The last UCI championship held in the U.S. was the 2015 Road Cycling World Championships in Richmond, Virginia in September.

"We know from experience that when sport organizations partner with independent anti-doping organizations, it brings confidence to athletes that their rights are being protected, and that they can compete and win on a level playing field," said USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart.

USADA is the latest national anti-doping agency to partner with the cycling federation.

UIPM and ITU Strengthen Governance Structures

The Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) and the International Triathlon Union (ITU) are taking steps to create more credible governance structures.

UIPM appointed three members to its first Ethics Commission on Tuesday including chairman Siegfried Brand, Angela Ives and Hiltrud Reder. The commission will assist the president and executive board of the federation with all issues related to good governance.

IOC executive board member and UIPM vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch says the commission is "vital to the sustainability and future of the Olympic ideals".

"The approval of the creation of our Ethics Committee is another demonstration of UIPM´s commitment to transparency and good governance, very much in accordance with Agenda 2020 principles," Samaranch says.

The ITU is also creating its own Ethics Code. The ITU executive board met at the World Triathlon Leeds and discussed the code of ethics, funding for development projects, the approval of ITU calendars and event sanction rules.

The new code was developed by the ITU Constitution Committee to "safeguard the integrity, reputation and the interests of all the stakeholders in the sport of triathlon", the ITU said in a statement.

The executive board also put forth proposals to limit the term of the president to three consecutive terms and to increase gender balance among committee members. These proposals will be voted on by the national federations at the ITU Congress in December.

"More than ever it is important to ensure strong governance policies are in place," said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. "I’m very proud that our Executive Board came forward with several proposals to ensure triathlon remain a leader in fair sport."

ISA Continues to Expand Global Reach

The International Surfing Association (ISA) is continuing to develop its programs worldwide ahead of its possible inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

The ISA is one of five federations short listed to be added to the Olympic program for the Tokyo Games if the IOC approves the additional events. In order to become an Olympic mainstay, the ISA is cultivating surfing instructors across the globe.

Since April 2016, the ISA has certified more than 150 StandUp Paddle (SUP) instructors in 12 countries including Brazil, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium and Hong Kong among others.

"ISA SUP courses are a key part to the global growth of the sport in both traditional and non-traditional SUP and Surfing nations," said ISA president Fernando Aguerre. "SUP was part of the ISA’s proposal to Tokyo 2020 and we will continue to promote the sport in the hope that it can be included on the Program for the 2024 Games."

Written by Kevin Nutley

Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about theOlympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.