RUSSIAN COMPLIANCE WITH THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE

Under conditions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in September 2018 for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to be declared compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, data from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory was to be supplied to WADA by 31 December 2018.

 

As the Australian Minister for Sport, I note with regret the 1 January 2019 advice from WADA that the Moscow laboratory data has not been supplied by the 31 December 2018 deadline, and that the independent WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will now consider the matter on 14 January.  

I look forward to the CRC’s deliberations on this critical issue and the recommendations it may make for the WADA Executive Committee’s consideration.

 

The Oceania region – which includes Australia – voted against declaring RUSADA compliant at the WADA September Executive Committee meeting in light of the outstanding compliance requirements that had been set for RUSADA.  

 

The integrity of sport is of paramount importance - athletes train hard, and expect and are entitled to a level playing field.  To ensure such a level playing field in August 2017 the Liberal National Government commissioned the Review of Australia’s Sports Integrity Arrangements, conducted by the Hon James Wood AO QC, and will issue its response to the Review in the coming weeks.

 

The Review supports the priority that the integrity of sport is given in the nation’s first sports plan – Sport 2030.

 

The Australian public and sports participants alike are entitled to be confident that the sport they watch and play is clean, safe and fair – regardless whether that be at community, state, national or international levels.  

 

The Russian doping saga has now plagued world sport for several years, and a definitive resolution is well overdue.  It is therefore critical that this current compliance matter be dealt with effectively and expeditiously, in a way that ensures governments’ and the public’s confidence in our integrity system.  

 

I look forward to contributing to that process in the interests of the integrity of world sport and the protection of the clean athlete.  

 

 

ENDS