Is this a Craig Reedie effect? Now chaired by the Scottish leader, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wants to significantly accelerate the pace. Meeting in Montreal as a “Foundation Council”, the international institution added two new products to its long list of prohibited substances. And designated Spain as one of the dunces in the fight against doping.
As expected since the end of the last Winter Games, xenon and argon are now banned. These two gases will be assimilated to stimulating agents such as erythropoietin. According to several media, the first of them would have been massively used by Russian athletes before and during the Sochi Olympics. It would even partly explain the success of the Russian team at home. At the time, xenon was not considered a dopant. WADA corrected the situation, with almost immediate effect.
“It wasn't a question of if to ban it, but when,” Reedie said. Unanimously, the executive committee decided to ban it now.” A 90-day period will be applied to allow governments and organizations to update their regulations. Xenon and argon will therefore be banned from the end of August 2014.
Another decision is the upcoming update of the “Athlete’s Guide”, which will include the new guidelines of the World Anti-Doping Code. It will be clearer, easier to understand for athletes. An electronic version will soon be offered to them.
This new code was approved at the global level last year in Johannesburg. It should come into force at the start of 2015. There is no longer any question of hanging around, therefore, for Craig Reedie and for the members of the WADA executive committee, including the Frenchman Tony Estanguet, representative of the IOC within the organization. The message is clear and the intention declared: get organized as quickly as possible to be ready at the end of the year.
From Montreal, WADA has also been listening to Spanish sport. By naming it. And without taking a pinch. The Agency very officially issued a “warning” to Spain for its slowness and laxity in the Puerto affair and the organized doping of several athletes by Doctor Fuentes.
Obviously, WADA did not appreciate being refused access by the Spanish courts to the dozens of blood bags seized in 2006 from the pharmacy of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. She also did not like having to wait a year for the results of her appeal of this judicial decision. “The lack of progress in this case sends the wrong message to the rights of clean athletes around the world,” WADA said, asking the Spanish authorities to conclude as quickly as possible.
Bad students in the fight against doping have been warned: WADA is no longer joking. She wants to go quickly.
