WADA Lacked Investigative Authority Until 2015

(ATR) The World Anti-Doping Agency says that it did not have the "clear authority" to investigate claims of Russian doping when the allegations were first made in 2010.

In a response to a letter from U.S. Senator John Thune issued on June 20, WADA president Craig Reedie answers five questions from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the status of the Russian doping investigations and his role as WADA president.

As chair of the committee that has jurisdiction over sports, Thune questioned the WADA investigations due to the use of taxpayer money to help fund the agency. Thune asked why WADA did not begin an investigation into doping among Russian athletes until 2015 even though claims were made as early as 2010.

Reedie says the authority to investigate such claims was not available to WADA according to its code until January 1, 2015 which also marked the formation of the Independent Commission that uncovered the state-sponsored doping systems within Russian athletics.

When asked how WADA can better protect whistleblowers who help progress the efforts of clean sport, Reedie says the agency is on schedule to have a clear whistleblower policy in place by its next executive board meeting in November.

The full responses to Senator Thune’s questions can be found here and the details regarding WADA’s current investigation into claims by former Russian Anti-Doping Agency lab director Grigory Rodchenkov that Russian athletes doped ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympics can be found here.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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