FINA Condemns Thorpe's Doping Allegations
Lausanne (SUI), July 28, 2004 – FINA, the swimming world governing body, acknowledged with regret the statements made by the great swimming champion Ian Thorpe (AUS) and his intention to bring the sport of swimming into disrepute by saying in an interview on Channel 7 (Australia) on July 27, 2004: 'For anyone to think that they’re swimming at a clean Olympic Games they’d be naive' and 'Of course I’ve swum against athletes that have been on drugs'.
FINA, one of the leading sport organisations in the fight against the use of banned substances, together with its National Federations conducted over the last 11 years important anti-doping testing programmes. More recently, in co-operation with WADA and the National Anti-Doping Organisations, FINA is carrying out a very large in and out-of competition anti-doping programme for the sport of swimming with the consequent significant decrease of doping violations.
FINA strongly condemns such attitude as it is not acceptable that all the swimmers, including Thorpe’s team mates, participating at the Olympic Games are accused, without any sustainable evidence that they may 'have been on drugs'.
Janet Evans, Olympic and World Champion and FINA Athletes Commission Chairman, stated: 'I disagree with this statement. FINA, through its anti-doping policy, is doing everything it can to assure that the swimmers are clean during the Olympic Games. I sincerely think that swimming is a clean sport.'
FINA expresses its full confidence and sustains the honour and reputation of all the swimming family (swimmers, coaches and officials), wishing them a lot of success in the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (GRE).
For more details contact:
FINA Communications Department
Tel: (41-21) 3104710
Fax: (41-21) 3126610
e-mail: fina.press@bluewin.ch
other news on www.fina.org
FINA, one of the leading sport organisations in the fight against the use of banned substances, together with its National Federations conducted over the last 11 years important anti-doping testing programmes. More recently, in co-operation with WADA and the National Anti-Doping Organisations, FINA is carrying out a very large in and out-of competition anti-doping programme for the sport of swimming with the consequent significant decrease of doping violations.
FINA strongly condemns such attitude as it is not acceptable that all the swimmers, including Thorpe’s team mates, participating at the Olympic Games are accused, without any sustainable evidence that they may 'have been on drugs'.
Janet Evans, Olympic and World Champion and FINA Athletes Commission Chairman, stated: 'I disagree with this statement. FINA, through its anti-doping policy, is doing everything it can to assure that the swimmers are clean during the Olympic Games. I sincerely think that swimming is a clean sport.'
FINA expresses its full confidence and sustains the honour and reputation of all the swimming family (swimmers, coaches and officials), wishing them a lot of success in the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (GRE).
For more details contact:
FINA Communications Department
Tel: (41-21) 3104710
Fax: (41-21) 3126610
e-mail: fina.press@bluewin.ch
other news on www.fina.org