Canadian anti-doping efforts undermined by inconsistent enforcement of the standards
Press Release
This article is written in English with a French translation underneath.
November 9, 2015 – The head of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) says the efforts of leading sport nations to pursue clean sport are entirely undermined without much tougher oversight from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and harsher consequences for countries and sport federations that do not comply with international rules.
Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES, made the comments in reaction to a damning report issued today by an independent commission convened by WADA and chaired by Canadian Dick Pound.
In its report, the commission points to evidence of widespread doping and corruption, and to systemic failures within the Russian sport system and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
“The findings are profoundly disturbing and extremely disappointing,” said Melia. “WADA has put the rules in place and is mandated to oversee anti-doping efforts around the world; but, clearly, this report confirms there’s still a long way to go before we have a level playing field for athletes who choose to compete clean. And it’s not just a problem in Russia, and not just a problem in Athletics. The findings released today will impact all athletes and all sports. Without clear values to help shape the system, greed, corruption, winning-at-all-costs and other threats can take over.”
