World Anti-Doping Agency Dir General David Howman said that its exec committee "expects to consider the report from a two-day inspection to Jamaica next week," according to the AP. Howman said that the audit report on gaps in Jamaica's testing of athletes "will likely be presented to WADA's board on the first day of its conference in South Africa next Tuesday." Howman said that his organization "also expects to meet Kenyan officials at the four-day conference in Johannesburg next week, with the East African country also under scrutiny." Howman said he was "content" with the process that was followed with WADA's inspection of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission last week, but "frustration" was "a good word" to describe WADA's feelings over Kenya's "delay in investigating a spike in positive doping tests among its athletes" (AP, 11/13).
FAILURE TO LAUNCH: In London, Marina Hyde wrote on the GUARDIAN's Talking Sport blog, "We have to ask, given that one calendar year ago, WADA was said to be 'frustrated' by Kenya's failure to investigate claims of drug use in long-distance runners." Twelve months later, on the eve of this week's WADA conference in Johannesburg, the agency's Africa office director declared it "very frustrated." Hyde added that "by my calculations, November 2014 will see the threat level upgraded to 'fairly ticked off,'" and November 2015 could see things get as draconian as "actually pretty batey now." The "snook-cocking has been flagrant." Not only did Kenya "fail to launch an investigation, but it did not even bother replying to WADA's letter recommending an investigation take place." WADA's visit there took place last week. According to reports, representatives of the agency "arrived on Monday night, then spent Tuesday having what can only have been a quick peek at the old testing operation, given that they nicked off on a flight first thing Wednesday morning." Jamaica senior drug tester Dr. Paul Wright said, "I have a personal problem in what you can do in 12 hours. They were only really here on Tuesday, and four hours of that was at a dinner function with the prime minister." That is "what a WADA 'extraordinary audit' looks like" (GUARDIAN, 11/13).
NEW MEASURES FOR WORLD CUP: The AP reported a new urine test "designed to catch athletes who take steroids" will be introduced by WADA next year and "used at the World Cup in Brazil." WADA called it "the twin" of the blood profiling currently used in the athletes' biological passport system. It will "allow anti-doping authorities to build a profile of a person's steroid levels from urine samples and to identify any changes -- in a similar way that changes in blood may indicate doping." WADA said Tuesday the new technique will particularly target testosterone and will "complement" the biological passport (AP, 11/13).
CRICKETERS IN FAVOR: Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid "favoured sportspersons signing the 'whereabout' clause of anti-doping agency WADA as this would reduce chances of corrupt practices in the game." Under this agreement, a player "has to sign an agreement" with WADA to "provide information about their exact location as well as engagements for three months in advance." Cricketers, who were supported by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, "had refused to sign it saying it violated their privacy" (PTI, 11/12).
