The World Anti-Doping Agency said that "it is against the imposition of criminal sanctions on cheating athletes despite a tougher code that will come into effect on Jan. 1, according to the AP.
WADA also announced that "pledges for the creation of an anti-doping research fund" reached more than $10M, matching the financial investment made by the IOC. The joint project will therefore have a budget of about $20M. WADA President Craig Reedie:
"An athlete should be sanctioned under the sports rules which have been developed over many years. And he should not be sanctioned under criminal law." Reedie "distanced himself from a German draft law, which cites jail terms of up to three years for professional athletes caught using, or possessing, performance-enhancing drugs." The bill "is expected to go to the Cabinet for approval in April." Reedie:
"People who say: 'If you cheat, you will be put in jail,' that is not something with which we are comfortable. We do not believe that that should happen." In reply to the athletes' concerns about the quality of the doping tests at the 2016 Rio Games, Reedie said that WADA "is 'working closely' with the national anti-doping organization in Brazil."
Reedie: "It is important that we have the laboratory in Rio re-accredited so that it doesn't make any mistakes" (AP, 11/16). In Paris, Clément Chaillou reported at the Central Office Against Environmental and Public Health Offenses (OCLAESP) on Friday, French Minister of Sports Patrick Kanner spoke out against the criminal liability for doping athletes. Kanner said, “It would be going too far, it would create a climate of suspicion amongst all the athletes at the highest level, and that is not healthy. I am for prevention and education. … What makes me shudder is to see how easy it is to access these products. We must not slack our efforts, it’s a race against time” (LE PARISIEN, 11/14).
KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH: L'EQUIPE reported During the meeting of the WADA Founding Board, the organization "stressed the importance of the fight against doping in three countries specifically." Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympics, as well as Kenya and Jamaica, “displays a high density of athletic achievements." Although Brazil has been given hosting privileges for the World Cup and the Olympics, it has had issues regarding the fight against doping. In August ’13, Brazil’s analytical laboratory in Rio lost its accreditation. The Brazilian government announced this summer that a new laboratory would be opened to meet WADA requirements and Reedie said that it is “on track to reclaim” its accreditation. In the case of Jamaica and Kenya, both are “major countries” in the world of athletics: Jamaica, “with its sprinters, and Kenya, who reigns over middle-distance running.” However, both countries also have “some shortcomings in terms of the fight against doping.” In Jamaica, a series of positive tests and suspensions led to resignations among anti-doping leaders in November ‘13. In Kenya, a “true national anti-doping agency” does not currently exist. However, Norway and China have recently agreed to “financially and logistically help the country set up” a new agency (L’EQUIPE, 11/16).
