A report strongly criticized UK Anti-Doping "over its failure to alert the General Medical Council to evidence from a whistleblower that a Harley Street doctor had provided performance-enhancing drugs to sportspeople," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. The report by former Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ward highlighted mistakes made by the anti-doping organization over information provided to it about Dr. Mark Bonar, "including prescriptions he allegedly wrote for the blood-boosting drug EPO and human growth hormone." Two years after UKAD’s failure to take action, the doctor was secretly filmed by The Sunday Times claiming that "he had prescribed performance-enhancing drugs to 150 elite sportspeople, including Premier League footballers and British Tour de France cyclists." Bonar "has since denied having done so." Amateur cyclist Dan Stevens told a Parliamentary select committee in January that in '14 he "had handed the information over" to UKAD Dir of Legal Graham Arthur, who told him the information was of little or no use to the organization.
Meanwhile, UKAD "has sent two investigators to Kenya to investigate claims by two Kenyan doctors, also filmed undercover by German broadcaster ARD and The Sunday Times, that they had provided EPO to four British athletes." UKAD CEO Nicole Sapstead said, "We are taking this very seriously indeed. We have two members of staff out there now speaking to the doctors who are alleged to have doped the athletes." UK Athletics described the allegations as "vague and unsubstantiated," saying, "None of the allegations as presented relating to British athletes accords with our experience. Nevertheless, we take any allegations of doping seriously and will as always cooperate fully with any investigation undertaken by Ukad or other anti-doping organisations" (LONDON TIMES, 7/11). The BBC reported an independent review, led by Ward and published on Monday, said,
- There was "confusion and lack of clarity" on how to manage a source looking to reduce his doping ban by whistleblowing
- As a "minimum standard," UKAD should have made "a simple check" with the GMC
- It was "difficult to understand" why there was no contact with the GMC when it was suggested seven times to staff
- The decision not to reduce Stevens' ban was "subjective" and "harsh."
The report said, "It is clear to us that opportunities to gather intelligence, secure evidence, and investigate Bonar have been missed."
It added, "All members of Ukad have displayed complete transparency and are quite clearly motivated to support the organisation and take clear pride in their role of protecting clean sport."
UKAD Chair David Kenworthy said the case had been "challenging and complex" and the body "fully accepts mistakes were made and lessons must be learnt" (
BBC, 7/11).
