WADA Foundation Board reviews Code compliance activities

“Under the revised Code, athletes worldwide rely on top class anti-doping operations; and, as such, it is vital that we see consistent and quality rules practiced in every nation and every sport”

The World Anti-doping Agency Foundation Board received a progress report on Code implementation and compliance at its bi-annual meeting in Montreal, Canada on 13 May. The Board also approved the accreditation of anti-doping laboratories in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) and Turkey (Ankara).

“The WADA Foundation Board held a very productive meeting in Montreal, at which the important matters of the World Anti-Doping Code’s implementation and laboratory accreditation were discussed in full,” WADA President Sir Craig Reedie said.

Following a discussion on the status of Code implementation, the WADA Foundation Board declared six signatories non-compliant with the revised World Anti-Doping Code. These signatories are the following National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) acting as NADOs: El Salvador (NADO), Guinea-Bissau (NOC), Haiti (NOC), Korea, DPR (NOC), Sierra Leone (NOC) and Virgin Islands (U.S.) (NOC). They were deemed non-compliant, having failed to provide WADA with draft rules or any information about their rules drafting process. As stipulated in Article 23 of the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA shall report the declarations of non-compliance to the required governments and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Under the revised Code, athletes worldwide rely on top class anti-doping operations; and, as such, it is vital that we see consistent and quality rules practiced in every nation and every sport,” added Reedie. “I am pleased to see that the overwhelming majority of organizations have put the required rules in place. However, the Foundation Board learnt (13 May) that there are still six signatories that have not yet done so, and as such these signatories have been declared non-compliant. It will now be the responsibility of the governments in those countries and the IOC to decide on the consequences of non-compliance. Meanwhile, we at WADA will continue dialogue with all our partners so that quality rules can be put in place at the earliest opportunity.”

For more information on the WADA Foundation Board’s recent review on Code compliance activities, click here.