U.S. track and field athletes call on WADA to adopt reforms
Nearly 90 U.S. track and field athletes have signed onto a petition calling for the World Anti-Doping Agency to adopt recommended reforms that would separate its governance from that of the International Olympic Committee.
The USATF Athletes Advisory Committee wrote to WADA President Craig Reedie on Monday, requesting that WADA and the IOC implement reforms that leaders of 17 national anti-doping agencies put forth following a meeting in Copenhagen in August.
In the letter, the athletes state, “It is not only our sport but the entire Olympic Movement that has been severely impacted by systematic doping violations by individuals, international federations, and government officials. The Olympic Movement is at a pivotal point where it can either decide to protect rights, the athletes and the integrity of sport or it can continue to disregard these glaring doping violations in the interest of financial incentives for a few.”
The letter, which was posted online with a change.org petition, was signed by two-time Olympic hurdler Jeff Porter, who is chair of the USATF’s Athletes Advisory Committee.
Several top U.S. Olympians signed the petition, including Rio shot put gold medalist Michelle Carter, two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat and four-time Olympian and three-time medalist Lauryn Williams.
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Among the Copenhagen recommendations is one addressing conflicts of interest, an issue that drew intense criticism as Reedie was an IOC vice president through August and is a longtime IOC member.
The recommended reforms stated leaders of anti-doping organizations should not simultaneously hold board, officer or policy-making positions at an international sports organization or major event organization, such as the IOC.
Reedie’s dual role drew attention in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics as WADA was criticized for not investigating sooner claims from a whistleblower of state-sponsored doping in Russia.
Two WADA-commissioned investigations revealed that not only were Russian athletics and government officials involved in doping, but that the country had engaged in a widespread cover up of positive tests.
WADA recommended that the IOC ban the country from competing in Rio, but the IOC left that decision to the international federations that govern each sport.
The International Association of Athletics Federations had previously banned Russia’s track and field athletes from competing, and the International Weightlifting Federation banned the country based on its own criteria regarding failed tests. Ultimately, Russia competed with approximately 70% of its delegation.
Since Rio, several groups — including WADA and the IOC — have convened to offer recommendations on the system as anti-doping continues to deal with the fallout of the Russian scandal.
That’s likely to continue as Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren is set to release the second part of his investigation into Russian doping on Friday.
The track and field athletes’ petition comes as American athletes in other sports are threatening a boycott.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that bobsled and skeleton athletes are considering boycotting a world championship event in Sochi in February. According to the Times, athletes in those sports have circulated a memo highlighting concerns about doping control, safety and information security as reasons to avoid competing.
Sochi hosted the 2014 Olympics, and the first half of McLaren’s report confirmed the account from the lab director that positive tests were covered up for Russian athletes by swapping out urine.
PHOTOS: TRACK AND FIELD IN RIO
