The new World Anti-Doping Code was approved by the sports movement and governments of the world at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Madrid (SPA) last week. The Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) unanimously ratified the revisions to enhance the Code on Saturday. During a full day of interventions on the Code by public authorities and the sports movement on Friday 16th November, the underlying position was clearly in support of the revisions to the document, whilst a number of valuable amendments were brought forward to the draft that has been through a 18-month consultation process since April 2006.
The revised Code strengthens the fight against doping and advances anti-doping harmonization and programs worldwide. Sports organizations and governments are required to implement the revisions to the Code by 1st January 2009.
“We are very happy to have a new code reflecting our experiences since 2003. It is a great step forward in the global fight against doping in sport,†commented FIS President Gian Franco Kasper, who was re-elected to the Executive Board of the WADA as the representative of the international sports federations.
“We are also pleased that the revised code includes amended wording requiring the international federations to do “everything possible†to award events only to countries whose governments have adopted the UNESCO anti-doping convention and whose national bodies comply with the Code. Moreover, it is important that the new Code maintains the obligation on WADA to continue to conduct out-of-competition testing, rather than simply acting as a watch dog.â€
Australian John Fahey was elected new President of WADA while Arne Ljungqvist, a Swedish IOC member, was elected as its next vice president.
Source: www.fis-ski.com
