In a "major change" in the handling of positive drug tests at the Olympics, the IOC agreed Tuesday "to remove itself from the process and have a group of independent sports arbitrators rule on doping cases during the games in Rio de Janeiro," according to Stephen Wilson of the AP. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that the change was approved by the IOC's exec board. The move is intended "to make the prosecution of doping cases more independent by taking it away from the IOC and putting it in the hands of a special panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport." Under current rules, doping cases during the Olympics "are dealt with by a special IOC disciplinary panel appointed by the IOC president." Under the new system, positive cases "will go directly to a new CAS doping division on site." CAS "will select a panel of one to three members to hear the cases and issue rulings without IOC involvement." Any appeal against the panel's decision during the games "will be heard by a separate CAS division, which already handles eligibility and other disputes at the Olympics." The change "is part of IOC President Thomas Bach's efforts to make drug-testing and sanctioning more credible by removing any potential conflicts of interest" (AP, 1/3).
