The association of National Anti-Doping Organizations on Tuesday "called for a blanket ban on Russia from all international sport until the country can demonstrate it has installed and embraced a credible anti-doping system," according to Mitch Phillips of REUTERS. Leaders from 19 NADOs held a special summit in Dublin to "discuss the fallout from the second part of Richard McLaren’s report for the World Anti-Doping Agency." Following Tuesday's meeting, the organization issued a statement "listing a series of desired reforms, and although Russia was not the only nation to spark concerns, the scale of the problem there ensured it dominated the summit’s conclusions." These included the "exclusion of Russian sports organizations from all international competition, with a uniform process for athletes to compete as neutrals, until there is substantive progress in reform efforts; the removal of all major international competitions from the country; and a moratorium on the awarding of new competitions to Russia" (REUTERS, 1/10). The BBC reported the NADOs hope their proposals will "help sport move past these dark times." The group backed WADA as the global regulator, but reiterated the need for a "truly independent anti-doping model" (BBC, 1/10). INSIDE THE GAMES' Daniel Etchells reported Russian Deputy PM Vitaly Mutko "slammed a joint statement" from 19 NADOs. He described the calls as "absolutely political" and a "deliberate attack on Russian sport aimed at its defamation." He also "promised that Russia will do its best to protect its athletes, including by means of taking legal action." He said, "Anti-doping organizations are anti-doping organizations, they should control the situation in their country, collect urine, but not interfere with politics" (INSIDE THE GAMES, 1/11).
TEAM SKY: In London, Tom Cary reported Team Sky Principal Dave Brailsford insisted on Tuesday that he was "still the right man to lead Team Sky" but said that he would not "continue blindly" if he felt that his presence was "beginning to have a detrimental impact on the team." Brailsford said, "Nobody continues blindly without any sort of awareness or self-awareness whatsoever. My role here is to create an environment for other people to perform." Speaking at a pre-season training camp in Majorca, Brailsford was "at turns combative, defensive and evasive as he faced the media for the first time since being grilled by a parliamentary select committee last month" (TELEGRAPH, 1/10). The BBC reported Brailsford said that Team Sky can be trusted "100%," despite "regrettable" questions over Bradley Wiggins' medical records. He said, "Can people believe in Team Sky? 100 percent. ... It is regrettable. But equally the test of time is the key thing, and over time we will continue to perform at the highest level, continue to do it the right way, continue to give people a reason to get behind us and feel proud of our achievements" (BBC, 1/10).
'CLEAN ATHLETICS': In a separate piece, the BBC reported UK Athletics launched a "Clean Athletics" brand, a year after its 14-point manifesto that "aimed to create a new era of clean athletics." UKA Chair Ed Warner noted a "seismic change" in athletics' response to doping in '16, but said that "too much denial" remained. Warner said that the stances taken by the IAAF and the Int'l Paralympic Committee could be seen as a "turning point" (BBC, 1/11).
IN KENYA: ALL AFRICA's Timothy Olobulu reported Athletics Kenya has "identified five doctors who will form a network of accredited medical personnel to attend to athletes in the country as a measure of curbing doping." According to AK President Jackson Tuwei, elite athletes "will be required to seek medical attention and advice solely from the appointed doctors failure to which they will be ineligible to represent Kenya in future competitions." Tuwei said, "There are five doctors bred within the country, these are the first group of doctors but we are going to increase as we go along because five will not be enough. These doctors have already been contacted, vetted and conformed by IAAF." A total of 109 athletes have been "identified for the pilot program" (ALL AFRICA, 1/10).
