World Olympians Association Issues Statement Regarding CEO Comments at Westminster Forum

WOA clarifies comments made at a recent forum by chief executive officer Mike Miller regarding anti-doping efforts.

Guardar

World Olympians Association (WOA) has made the following statement in relation to comments made by Chief Executive Mike Miller at the Westminster Forum on integrity and duty of care in sport:

World Olympians Association Chief Executive Mike Miller was invited to speak, in a session entitled ethics in sport, trust, enforcement and priorities going forward, to a select group of people in London, UK on Tuesday 10 October. In a speech entitled "We must strengthen trust in sport", Mr Miller dealt with numerous topics on this important issue.

At the end of the speech Mr Miller suggested, as a way of fostering debate, that just as in business, where initial trials are taking place using chipping to help with employee ID, security and payments, the sporting industry could also use microchip technology in the fight against doping.

It was made clear at the time of speaking that this was a personal opinion, not a policy of the World Olympians Association.

WOA President, Joël Bouzou, said:

"The WOA actively strives to serve the needs of Olympians at all stages of their lives and to involve them in service to society projects that benefit their local and national communities. Olympians want to know that all of their hard work and sacrifice is not in vain, that they can compete on a level playing field without having to contend with those who cheat by taking prohibited substances.

"We will always be at the forefront of anti-doping initiatives and welcome open and constructive debate on the best way to achieve doping and cheating free sport. However, the views expressed recently by our Chief Executive Mike Miller were of a personal nature, as Mike has made clear, and do not represent WOA policy."

World Olympians Association Chief Executive, Mike Miller, added:

"It saddens me that such an important topic has been trivialized by taking out of context one comment among many made to foster debate on how best to strengthen trust in sport and drive the cheats out of sport. I made it very clear at the time that these were personal comments and not WOA policy and also that it was not something that had been discussed by the WOA."

For more information:

Amelia Fisher-Starzynski

VERO Communications

Afisher-starzynski@verocom.co.uk

+44 207 812 6589 / +44 7557 418 187

Connect with World Olympians Association

Website: www.olympians.org

Twitter: @worldolympians

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorldOlympiansAssociation/

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”

The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”