BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced a series of measures to ensure the independence of anti-doping programs at major international events, including independent test distribution planning and athlete selection for testing.
At Tuesday's WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting, members discussed the final report from the Working Group on National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) Operational Independence (WGOI), which was set up to explore the structural and operational independence of NADOs.
The report recommended that the NADO of the host country or region should not be involved in the test distribution plan, selection of athletes for testing, certain aspects of sample collection, or results management.
Instead, these functions would be carried out by an independent, non-partisan body.
"It will be beneficial for the integrity of and trust in the system that major events will be protected in this way and insulated from allegations of bias - whether justified or not - by the host country," said WADA president Witold Banka.
"Athletes of the world deserve to know that when they compete in a major event, they are subject to the same treatment as their fellow athletes from the host country," Banka continued. "Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. A truly independent testing program, removed from any suggestion of political interference or national bias, will help deliver the confidence those athletes require."
NADOs would not be entirely excluded from the process, as they could play a role in logistical support, coordination with law enforcement for intelligence and investigation purposes, and the delivery of onsite education programs.
"The independent process has been applied for the Olympic Games and now WGOI recommends the model be extended to other major events and become mandatory," WADA vice president Yang Yang explained. ■
