WADA supports USPS investigation
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) general director David Howman has declared his support of the American Food and Drug Administrations’s (FDA) investigation into the former US Postal Service team. The investigation is led by Jeff Novitzky and implicates Lance
Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel and others in a sophisticated doping progam.
"You see, they're not scared to do the hard work. They're not scared to look at high-profile athletes who might be caught," said Howman at the Association of National Anti-Doping Organisation in Colorado Springs, USA, according to
The Associated Press.
"These kind of doping issues aren't present only in the United States. It's a global issue."
Howman is responding to criticism that the investigation is taking things out of proportion. According to Howman, it is quite the opposite. He commends the US system for their willingness to involve law enforcement agencies and federal bodies in their fight
against cyclist doping and to arrest, indict and convict even the most high-profile athletes.
The FDA investigation into Lance Armstrong’s former team, USPS, was initiated by allegations made by Armstrong’s former teammate Floyd Landis. Because the team was financed by a government organisation, a federal investigation was ordered and Novitzky has
enlisted the help of Interpol to pursue overseas leads.
WADA, on the other hand, named Russia and Brazil as among the countries which are failing to contribute effectively to the fight against doping.
"It is a concern in the general fight against doping that such big countries do not have the adequate anti-doping programs in place in the year of 2010," said Arne Ljungqvist, medical commission chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "The
anti-doping fight has been going on for 40 years, so it's a little worrying that big countries like those are still not there."
Neither of the highlighted countries sent a representative to conference, despite Russia having been chosen to host the winter Olympics in 2014 and Brazil to host the summer Olympics in 2016.
"From now, this matter will be a main point when evaluating the candidatures. This has been introduced as a new element in the bid process," said IOC president Jacques Rogge of their winning bids. "That is a lesson we have learned from the past."
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