WADA Athlete Representatives Slam Bullying Investigation

(ATR) WADA’s athlete leaders today withdrew from an investigation into Beckie Scott’s bullying allegations, claiming the probe lacks transparency and is akin to a "kangaroo court."

Scott, chair of WADA’s athletes' committee, and Edwin Moses, who heads the doping body’s education committee, issued a statement Friday saying they would not participate in the inquiry commissioned by WADA into their complaints of harassment and intimidation.

The investigation was launched after Scott made accusations that she was bullied by WADA executives during a September executive committee in the Seychelles. Scott said attempts to intimidate her were made during the meeting which reinstated the Russian Anti Doping Agency.

She had been opposed to Russia’s reinstatement following its three-year ban over state-directed doping, angered by the decision coming before Russia allowed WADA access to lab data. Scott quit WADA's compliance review committee after it recommended Russia’s reinstatement.

WADA later widened the probe to interview board members, apparently to include the Canadian cross-country Olympic gold medalist, after saying a review of the transcripts and recording of the meeting did not reveal evidence to back up her bullying claims.

On Friday, Scott and Moses legal team submitted a letter to WADA outlining the reasons for their withdrawal from the investigation.

The letter states that both Olympians had hoped and expected to participate in a robust and independent investigation of their "serious allegations", but that instead WADA has commissioned a process lacking in transparency and independence, akin to a "kangaroo court."

Raising major concerns about the probe, they cited several reasons for their withdrawal. Scott and Moses said there was a clear potential conflict of interest with the law firm commissioned to conduct the investigation given the firm’s long-standing client relationship with WADA, in addition to their current representation of WADA in a lawsuit involving a Russian sports agent.

They said the investigation had "no terms of reference, scope, reporting requirements or public disclosure protocols".

And they described "a flawed and bizarrely sequenced process that has seen witness interviews conducted before hearing from Ms. Scott and Dr. Moses in order to understand the complaints".

Lawyers for Scott and Moses raised the "critical concerns" throughout correspondence with WADA and its counsel over a six-month period beginning last November.

"Not one concern has been given a satisfactory response, in fact the concerns have been cast aside. As a result, Ms. Scott and Dr. Moses feel they have no choice but to decline to participate in this fatally flawed process," the athletes’ statement said.

"Based on these inadequacies, any progression, outcome or conclusion drawn by this current investigation cannot be regarded as impartial or as having integrity or credibility."

WADA, asked for comment by Around the Rings, released a statement saying it "notes with disappointmentthe decision of Beckie Scott and Edwin Moses to decline to cooperate with the independent investigation into Ms. Scott’s allegations of improper conduct by members of the Agency’s Executive Committee (ExCo) at its September 2018 meeting.

"It is unfortunate that Ms. Scott and Mr. Moses, who continue to sit as Chairs of WADA’s Athlete Committee and Education Committees, respectively, have refused to cooperate with the very process they themselves called for.

"While their refusal to explain their perspective on an issue they raised is regrettable and unusual, WADA has continued in good faith to ensure these serious allegations are investigated as thoroughly and as fairly as possible and expects that the investigation will conclude shortly."

Reported by Mark Bisson

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