IAAF to Step up War against Cheats
Helsinki, Finland - Set up by IAAF Council during the Athens Olympics, the IAAF Anti-Doping Task Force has now made a number of recommendations in an effort to strengthen the IAAF’s fight against doping.
Because the success of the anti-doping fight is fundamental to preserving the integrity of the sport, it was agreed by the IAAF Council that greater resources needed to be invested immediately into the IAAF’s anti-doping activities.
A new IAAF Anti-Doping Department will be set up, with additional members of staff recruited in the immediate future. These new members of staff will have specific expertise in the following areas – medical/research, testing co-ordination and education/information.
The IAAF will also appoint anti-doping delegates to supervise anti-doping activities at one day meetings, particularly Golden League and Super Grand Prix. Council also agreed that financial resources should be made available to support the Anti-doping department with a lump sum committed to the funding of research projects.
It was also agreed that the Anti-Doping Department shall be accountable to a special Evaluation Board composed of the IAAF President, Lamine Diack, Senior IAAF Vice- President, Arne Ljungqvist, Council Member Abby Hoffman, and the Chairman of the Anti-Doping Commission Dr Juan Manuel Alonso.
With regard to the transparency of the IAAF Anti-Doping programme, it was agreed that measures would be put in place to guarantee the transparency of the programme at all levels. Council agreed to the establishment of:
A new communications strategy regarding anti-doping issues;
An independent quality control audit of the IAAF’s anti-doping activities and procedures on an annual basis.
Council also agreed that the IAAF Anti-doping Task Force will remain in place to monitor the implementation of these recommendations, and will report again at the next IAAF Council Meeting in Doha.
With regard to anti-doping controls, it was noted that, as at beginning of November 2004, the IAAF had carried out the following controls:
In competition 975
Out of competition IAAF/IDTM 1440 IAAF/WADA 50
Total = 2,465
Of these, 42 have been concluded as doping offences.
EPO testing was conducted as follows:
90 pre-competition tests
110 in-competition tests
150 out-of-competition tests
For 2005, more resources would be dedicated both for out-of-competition and in-competition testing, and a new Blood Rule project was also agreed, which involves taking blood samples from athletes in order to verify parameters prior to participation in international competitions. A draft proposal will be drafted for approval at the next Council meeting, with the aim of introducing the new project at the World Championships in Helsinki.
'We will allocate more resources, more manpower and more expertise for the daily conduct of the anti-doping activities of the IAAF Anti-Doping office,' said IAAF Senior Vice President Arne Ljungqvist, who is also Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission at the end of yesterday's Council Meeting. 'The principle has been agreed to set more money aside to research ... primarily for joint funding of interesting projects with WADA ... and more money for testing. We are ready to fill up to five new posts in the new Anti-doping Department and we will launch an expanded testing programme for new substances and new methodology'
The 2005 edition of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics will have the strictest anti-doping measures of any IAAF event in history. With about 2,000 athletes expected in Helsinki, about one in every four competitors is likely to be tested, which represents almost 100 more tests than at the previous World Championships in Paris in 2003.
For more details contact:
Nick Davies
IAAF Communications Director
Tel: +377 93 10 88 88
Fax: +377 93 25 53 84
Because the success of the anti-doping fight is fundamental to preserving the integrity of the sport, it was agreed by the IAAF Council that greater resources needed to be invested immediately into the IAAF’s anti-doping activities.
A new IAAF Anti-Doping Department will be set up, with additional members of staff recruited in the immediate future. These new members of staff will have specific expertise in the following areas – medical/research, testing co-ordination and education/information.
The IAAF will also appoint anti-doping delegates to supervise anti-doping activities at one day meetings, particularly Golden League and Super Grand Prix. Council also agreed that financial resources should be made available to support the Anti-doping department with a lump sum committed to the funding of research projects.
It was also agreed that the Anti-Doping Department shall be accountable to a special Evaluation Board composed of the IAAF President, Lamine Diack, Senior IAAF Vice- President, Arne Ljungqvist, Council Member Abby Hoffman, and the Chairman of the Anti-Doping Commission Dr Juan Manuel Alonso.
With regard to the transparency of the IAAF Anti-Doping programme, it was agreed that measures would be put in place to guarantee the transparency of the programme at all levels. Council agreed to the establishment of:
A new communications strategy regarding anti-doping issues;
An independent quality control audit of the IAAF’s anti-doping activities and procedures on an annual basis.
Council also agreed that the IAAF Anti-doping Task Force will remain in place to monitor the implementation of these recommendations, and will report again at the next IAAF Council Meeting in Doha.
With regard to anti-doping controls, it was noted that, as at beginning of November 2004, the IAAF had carried out the following controls:
In competition 975
Out of competition IAAF/IDTM 1440 IAAF/WADA 50
Total = 2,465
Of these, 42 have been concluded as doping offences.
EPO testing was conducted as follows:
90 pre-competition tests
110 in-competition tests
150 out-of-competition tests
For 2005, more resources would be dedicated both for out-of-competition and in-competition testing, and a new Blood Rule project was also agreed, which involves taking blood samples from athletes in order to verify parameters prior to participation in international competitions. A draft proposal will be drafted for approval at the next Council meeting, with the aim of introducing the new project at the World Championships in Helsinki.
'We will allocate more resources, more manpower and more expertise for the daily conduct of the anti-doping activities of the IAAF Anti-Doping office,' said IAAF Senior Vice President Arne Ljungqvist, who is also Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission at the end of yesterday's Council Meeting. 'The principle has been agreed to set more money aside to research ... primarily for joint funding of interesting projects with WADA ... and more money for testing. We are ready to fill up to five new posts in the new Anti-doping Department and we will launch an expanded testing programme for new substances and new methodology'
The 2005 edition of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics will have the strictest anti-doping measures of any IAAF event in history. With about 2,000 athletes expected in Helsinki, about one in every four competitors is likely to be tested, which represents almost 100 more tests than at the previous World Championships in Paris in 2003.
For more details contact:
Nick Davies
IAAF Communications Director
Tel: +377 93 10 88 88
Fax: +377 93 25 53 84