(ATR) John Fahey, the outgoing president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, says the number of drug cheats in sport has gone down since he took office.
Fahey made the comments at a press conference before the start of the 2013 WADA Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday. The Australian has led WADA since 2007.
"The number of cheaters overall is less than when he started," Fahey said when asked what he’s learned during his tenure. He cited the fact that only five Olympians in London failed drug tests as evidence.
While he was proud of WADA’s accomplishments, he said there is still more to be done, adding that not enough cheaters are being caught.
"We haven’t solved doping and we never will," he said.
He said governments are likely to remain committed to the fight against doping even when he leaves office at the end of the year.
The WADA presidency rotates between the sport world and the government. Fahey, a former member of the New South Wales parliament in Australia represented the governments. British IOC member Craig Reedie is set to be confirmed as Fahey's replacement this week.
"Our greatest challenge is complacency," Fahey said. In his final weeks in office the Australian said he’s told governments: "You may not have had a scandal in your country but there’s one around the corner."
He said it is unlikely Brazil will have its own anti-doping laboratory for the World Cup. The country’s only laboratory in Rio de Janeiro had its accreditation revoked by WADA in August.
"Rio didn’t measure up there. We will work with them through our science team to get that back.
"I don’t think that’s going to happen in a hurry. Certainly not before the football World Cup."
He urged FIFA to make arrangements to ensure a watertight anti-doping program, emphasizing that the biggest issue was the transportation of samples.
"You can move samples these days with aircraft and regular flights and I am sure that as the event organizer, FIFA will come to that conclusion. It is their responsibility," he said.
Written by Ed Hula III.
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