Any system begins to decompose over time. The idea of anti-doping was very attractive indeed, but it got too many variables. Now, if the world needs fair sport, WADA must cease to exist.
This is stated in the article of the French edition “AgoraVox”.
“The activity of this structure has long been accompanied by scandals, there are many questions to it, and its engagement is no longer in doubt. Of course, control is necessary, but WADA is unable to provide it,” the author writes.
The publication drew attention to how WADA accused Russia of violations, depriving the country of the right to participate in major competitions for 4 years. The peculiarity of the situation is that the ban applies specifically to the state. This fact confirms the agency’s politicization. At the same time, Russian athletes can continue their activities.
“It is enough for them to prove that they are not involved in the violations, but it will not be difficult to do this, given that all the evidence of WADA against Russia is indirect. On the other hand, they are prohibited from flying the Russian flag. Thus, the ban turns into a political formality, the purpose of which is to humiliate Moscow, ”the media explain.
The author believes that WADA’s decision could be considered fair if not for another interesting nuance: the agency is in no hurry to punish other countries for the most obvious facts of doping. The fact is that Russia is far from being in the first place in the list of world sports scammers. According to the agency, the top three in 2017 included Italy, France and the United States. There were 171, 128 and 103 confirmed cases of doping, respectively.
Britain found itself in the midst of a scandal when it refused to provide doping samples for its athlete Mo Farah. American swimmer Madison Cox was almost disqualified for 4 years for using trimetazidine. Cox should have said that this was the first time she had heard of this drug so that her period of ineligibility had been reduced. When she said that the doping got into her body with water from the mains, the athlete was acquitted.
Olympic champion Gil Roberts from the USA in 2017 was caught using probenecid. The athlete said that the girl with whom he kissed the day before was to blame for everything.
“It’s hard to believe that enough substance can be transferred in this way, but it was this version that became official and Roberts was also acquitted,” the article says.
Finally, at the 2012 Olympics, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation, Britain forced its athletes to use a drug that had not even been fully studied. At the same time, the government agency “UK Sport” demanded that athletes sign a non-disclosure obligation.
All of the above is already destroying the illusion of WADA’s impartiality, the author writes. However, this is not the limit. Recently, the US Congress ruled that WADA funding will come in one package with USADA, the US National Anti-Doping Agency. The USA finances WADA in the amount of $ 2.7 million annually. This is the largest contribution among the states. That is, Washington has put the financial well-being of the organization and its employees on the line. The situation looks like sheer blackmail, the goals of which are quite obvious. Even WADA President Witold Banka admitted that the United States wants to “take control of the entire world anti-doping system.”
“Therefore, the best way out of the situation is not reforming, which the agency has been engaged in for several years, but disbanding it. This is the only way to complete the chain of scandals saturated with politics. This is the only way to start creating a new tool for ensuring fair sports, ”the author concluded.