Positive move to end drug scourge

ALL athletes guilty of serious doping offences will be banned for a mandatory two years under new laws proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency at their summit in Copenhagen yesterday.

The milestone decision, which hopes to bring uniformity to dealing with guilty athletes, has been welcomed by Irish Sports Council chief John Treacy as a major and positive step forward in an effort to rid all sports of the drug scourge.

“I think this is a major step forward,” Treacy said. “It will mean the harmonisation of sanctions and will the job of national ant-doping agencies a lot easier. It is an ambitious plan, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has set a goal of the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 and that is a realistic target.”

Although the Agency want the code in place for the Athens Summer games next year, that is unlikely. While the code was ushered in unanimously by sports federations globally, some issues have arisen.

The UCI, Cycling’s governing body, have problems with the length of the ban.

“We wouldn’t be in complete agreement with the two year ban. For some of the more minor doping offences, which is very relevant at the moment in Ireland, we would feel two years would be too much of a punishment,” said a UCI spokesperson.

“UCI is fully behind the World Anti-Doping Agency in its drive to rid sports of doping, but we wouldn’t be in complete agreement with it and we feel that it is going to be challenged legally, anyway.”

Despite this, Treacy is confident that the Agency’s code will be fully adopted.

“The code is very comprehensive, and there are some things that we have to look at in the Sports Council before our system fully adheres to it. But, its plan to bring everyone on board is something that people involved in sport should be fully supportive of, and have been.”

The major feature in the guidelines mean any athlete found guilty of serious doping offences faces a two year ban, barring ‘exceptional circumstances.’

An all-encompassing list of prohibited substances, instead of the two lists currently in operation, is also central to the code.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the code will ensure the fight against doping shall be “intensified, accelerated, harmonised and unified” with standards and sanctions to be imposed equally across the global sporting arena.

Prior to yesterday’s declaration, international federations imposed sanctions at their own discretion.

“I know some bodies have problems with the length of the sanction, and some have a minimum ban of one year, which will have to be looked at.

But, this code has widespread support among the athletes, sporting bodies and governments, so it will be implemented,” Treacy said.

He also believes that the World Anti-Doping Agency has become a much more confident body since its first conference in 1999.

“There was a lot of scepticism in 99 when the first conference took place, but I think the agency has proven in the past two or three years that it is capable of doing the job asked of it. And with the development of this code, it will only get stronger.

“There is a huge challenge ahead, but I think this decision is a major step towards meeting that challenge,” added Treacy

The code was also welcomed by the Governments who have signed up to the World Anti-Doping Agency. Thirty-seven governments signed up to the agreement yesterday, with another 21 having agreed to sign up, once they bring the matter back to their own parliament.

Sources in the Irish government, one of those who have agreed to sign up to the code, welcomed yesterday’s plans to harmonise the fight against drugs in sport.