Bach, McLaren, Reedie Discuss Doping

(ATR) A clear the air meeting between doping investigator Richard McLaren, WADA president Craig Reedie and IOC president Thomas Bach takes place in Lausanne.

The three men discussed strategy with regard to both sanctioning and to a more independent, robust and efficient anti-doping system in the aftermath of the McLaren reports on state-sponsored doping in Russia.

"It is an important step for further and better cooperation between Professor McLaren and the two IOC commissions,"Reedie tells Around the Rings, adding that cooperation"will lead to getting the Russia situation settled as soon as possible".

The two IOC commissions to which Reedie is referring to are ones led by Swiss IOC member Denis Oswald and former Swiss president Samuel Schmid.

The Oswald Commission is investigating all Russian samples from Sochi 2014 as well as handing out sanctions to individual athletes found guilty of doping or test manipulation during those Games.

Schmid is chair of the Disciplinary Commission whose remit is to address the systemic manipulation of theanti-doping system in Russia as revealed by the McLaren investigaton.

The meeting did not produce a change in the IOC's policy when it comes to dealing with Russian athletes who may have benefited from the Russian doping system. Instead, a joint statement reiterates the decision reached last July before the Rio Games that "it is the sole responsibility of the respective International Federation to take the appropriate action."

ATRwas told that a date for McLaren, Reedie and Bach to meet had not been set as of a few days ago. But the meeting happened less than a week after McLaren publicly criticized the IOC and WADA for their response to the findings of his two reports.

Giving testimony to a German parliamentary sports committee in Berlin on April 26, the Canadian lawyer said "I have not said anything in public about how the international sport community should react, but it frustrates me more and more what has happened.

"We need to take concrete steps to tackle the problem. After my second report, I've been discouraged because the IOC, WADA and international sport have been half-hearted. I wonder sometimes if there is a will to reform at all."

At Tuesday’s meeting, the IOC and WADA expressed their appreciation for the work done by McLaren.

"This was a very constructive and fruitful meeting. Following frank discussions, we are fully aligned in our determination to a close cooperation in the fight against doping. Our common goal is to do everything possible to protect the clean athletes so that such a systematic manipulation of the anti-doping system can never happen again," Bach, McLaren and Reedie concluded in a joint statement.

Written by Gerard Farek

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