WADA said that the whereabouts rule is a key element in fight against doping.GETTY IMAGES
WADA "welcomed the rejection of a legal challenge to the whereabouts rule which it says is a key element in the fight against doping," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. French unions representing rugby, football, basketball and handball players filed a complaint against the rule at the European Court of Human Rights, saying that it "violated the right to respect for private and family life," but it was rejected on Thursday. The ECHR said that the judges accepted the rule had an impact on the athletes' private lives but "took the view that the public interest grounds which made it necessary were of particular importance and justified the restrictions" on their freedom. WADA Dir Olivier Niggli said in a statement that out-of-competition tests were "one of the most powerful means of deterrence and detection of doping." He added, "Accurate whereabouts information is crucial to the success of anti-doping programs" (REUTERS, 1/19). CYCLING NEWS' Patrick Fletcher reported this is not the first time the whereabouts system has been challenged. In '09, a group of 65 Belgian athletes cited Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights in "bringing a case against the government of Flanders, the region in the north of the country." FIFA and UEFA "vehemently opposed the system" in '09, with then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter reportedly likening it to a "witch hunt" (CYCLING NEWS, 1/19).
