The World Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday that "its Independent Commission will urgently launch an investigation into widespread doping allegations" against int'l athletics, according to Ian Chadband of REUTERS. Yet the organization said it "deplored" the way the blood test data, which has led to the doping allegations, was obtained, leaked to the media and analyzed. Stressing its determination to protect athletes' confidentiality, WADA added that implications of doping from the data were "irresponsible and potentially libelous" and insisted that some data "could not possibly be considered doping." The allegations stem from the TV documentary "Doping -- Top Secret: The Shadowy World of Athletics," released by German broadcaster ARD on Aug. 1. ARD and Britain's Sunday Times newspaper "obtained a leaked database." WADA "has now backed the IAAF, while criticizing the TV and newspaper investigation." WADA President Craig Reedie said, "WADA deplores the manner in which this data was obtained, leaked to the media and analyzed. To suggest or imply doping with respect to any athlete whose data is contained within the database is, at the very least, irresponsible and potentially libelous" (REUTERS, 8/7). BLOOMBERG's Mason Levinson wrote WADA "will investigate more than a decade’s worth of track-and-field drug tests." The IAAF said Friday that "it welcomed WADA’s investigation and has agreed to participate in the inquiry." Lausanne, Switzerland-based WADA’s independent commission, led by former President Dick Pound, "was created following an ARD documentary about doping in Russia." The commission "investigates the validity of doping allegations, corrupt practices around sample collection and results management" (BLOOMBERG, 8/7). The BBC reported some of the data obtained pre-dates the '09 introduction of the Athlete Biological Passport, an electronic record of athletes' doping tests. WADA Dir General David Howman said this data "could not possibly be considered doping, legally or otherwise." He added, "In addition, atypical blood data, which may be within this database from 2009-2012, is not necessarily indicative of doping" (BBC, 8/7). The PA reported The Sunday Times, though, "continues to back its story" and labelled the IAAF response “disingenuous,” questioning whether the organization was committed to tackling doping (PA, 8/7). The BBC reported the IAAF "criticised doping claims made by two scientists." Robin Parisotto and Michael Ashenden "analysed blood tests from athletes." Parisotto said that "he had never seen such an abnormal set of blood values." The IAAF countered, "They do not have access to IAAF testing records and are therefore not able to know if proper testing follow-up was conducted" (BBC, 8/8).
