With regard to the protection of clean athletes the IOC EB has confirmed its zero tolerance policy and expressed support for the authority and autonomy of WADA in the fight against doping. As the Olympic Summit agreed in October, the IOC is following up on its initiative to make the anti-doping system independent of sports organisations. The EB is putting forward the following proposals to the respective WADA working group:
- An independent testing and results management entity should be set up under the leadership of WADA. Sports organisations should transfer their doping control operations to this new organisation and make the funding available initially at the level of the present investment in the fight against doping. This organisation should also co-ordinate the work of the national anti-doping agencies to ensure a streamlined, efficient and worldwide harmonised anti-doping system. Governments, which are 50 per cent partners of WADA, should support this reform alongside the sports movement, both logistically and financially.
- Within this organisation a professional intelligence gathering unit should be established. This would allow WADA to be proactive. The unit should address issues that may affect the compliance of anti-doping organisations and anti-doping laboratories accredited by WADA, at the earliest possible stage. This would help to make all such institutions compliant at all times and in such a way as to protect the clean athletes worldwide to the same level.
- Sanctions should be pronounced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In such a way also, the system of sanctions would be centralised, be cost-efficient and lead to harmonisation among all sports and all countries. The current right to appeal such sanctions to a different chamber of the CAS would be fully upheld and guaranteed.
Independent of these proposals, the IOC has already taken the first measures in this direction. WADA will lead intelligence-gathering funded by the IOC to make testing in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as efficient and independent as possible. Out-of-competition testing during the Olympic Games will also be guided by this intelligence group from WADA, to make it more targeted and more effective.
For the purpose of protecting clean athletes worldwide, the IOC has asked the National Olympic Committees of Russia and Kenya, as well as WADA, to ensure an efficient out-of- competition testing programme for all athletes in all sports of their countries, which at this time is not in place. The IOC welcomes the steps already undertaken by WADA, the two NOCs and the IAAF to address all the issues in order to have all nations compliant with the international anti-doping regulations.
The IOC is urging the governments of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Israel, Russia and Ukraine, whose National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) have been declared non-compliant by WADA, to undertake with the highest priority all the necessary measures to regain compliance. Also, the governments of Belgium (Joint Communities Commission), Belgium (Ministerium der deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Belgiens), Brazil, France, Greece, Mexico and Spain whose NADOs have been declared provisionally non-compliant by WADA to undertake with the highest priority all the necessary measures to ensure compliance before the WADA deadline of 18 March 2016.