The end of Craig Reedie's reign is approaching. Elected president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2014, the Scottish leader, former badminton player and member of the IOC, must return the keys to his office and take away his boxes at the beginning of next November. Relieved, it seems. Happy to finish a mission where he took the blows without ever being able to return them.
Who will succeed him? The response should come this Tuesday, May 14, in Montreal, at the AMA headquarters. Government representatives must meet to nominate their candidate. They have the choice between two “youngsters”, the Pole Witold Banka (photo above), 34 years old, and the Dominican Marcos Diaz (below), 44 years old.
Both are former top athletes. Witold Banka worked on the track, in the 400m and 4x400m. Marcos Diaz has made a career out of open water swimming. Both then turned to politics. The Pole is the current Minister of Sports of his country. The Dominican, a notch below, occupies the seat of Deputy Minister of Sports.
By nominating their candidate this Tuesday, the representatives of the states will automatically make them the future president of the AMA. Since its creation in 1999, the international organization has adopted the principle of a rotating presidency, between governments and the sports movement, its two pillars and contributors.
The Canadian Dick Pound inaugurated the function (1999 to 2007), as part of the sports movement. The Australian John Fahey (2008 to 2013) followed, as government representative. He then gave way to Craig Reedie (2014 to 2019). The turn has now come for the states to regain first place.
A few hours before the vote, the outcome remains very uncertain. According to several people close to WADA, met last week at SportAccord, the campaign did not make it possible to identify a real favorite. Witold Banka is not the least motivated. He has already assured that, in the event of victory, he would relinquish his mandate as Minister of Sports.
The candidate chosen by the governments will not immediately take a place in the presidential office. He will be officially inducted at the World Conference on Doping in Sport, scheduled to take place in Katowice, Poland, from November 5-7, 2019. In the meantime, he will accompany Craig Reedie during a so-called handover period.
This Tuesday, May 13, the continents will have to choose the future president of the AMA at the end of a ballot where the number of votes is already known: five for Europe, four for America, four for Asia, three for Africa, two for Oceania.
As a reminder, Witold Banka has already overcome an obstacle, by obtaining the green light from Europe. In competition with the Norwegian Linda Helleland, very offensive but undoubtedly too virulent with regard to the sports movement, and with the Belgian Philippe Muyters, he was chosen at the start of the year by the Council of Europe.
Officially, Linda Helleland is not excluded from the race. She never announced her withdrawal, leaving doubt about her intentions. She can apply for the presidency provided she obtains the written support of at least one member of the WADA Foundation Board. And this, no later than May 31. Not a foregone conclusion, but certainly not impossible.
Between Witold Banka and Marcos Diaz, the meeting points prove to be more numerous than the antagonisms. In addition to their youth, unusual at the head of WADA, but certainly timely, the two candidates campaigned on the idea that athletes must now participate in the decision-making process at all levels.
The two men, already present within WADA, voted for the reintegration of Russia, even before its national anti-doping agency, RUSADA, had fulfilled all its obligations written in black and white on the WADA roadmap. AMA.
For the rest, the two applicants are distinguished by a few proposals. The Pole proposes the creation of a fund intended for the construction of new anti-doping laboratories in the least well-endowed regions. The Dominican wants to see more diversity in the ranks of the AMA. He also emphasizes the urgency of providing the agency with increased resources.
