Sport Ireland Statement on Final WADA Independent Person Report

Following the publication of WADA’s final Independent Person Report today, Chief Executive, John Treacy, and Director of Participation and Ethics, Dr Una May, reiterated Sport Ireland’s support for strong measures to combat state-sponsored doping and subversion of anti-doping.

Mr Treacy said: “The findings of the final instalment of the McLaren Report reinforce Sport Ireland’s position that the strongest possible action should be taken at an international level against Russia. Any action or sanction taken should remain in place until such time as Russia can demonstrate that it has addressed all of the issues identified in the report and that robust systems are in place to ensure that events of the recent past will never happen again.

“The International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and all International Federations have a role to play here and must be relentless in pursuing all of the possible ADRVs by individuals that are implicated in the report. This issue stretches beyond anti-doping – governance across all international sporting organisations needs to be addressed; this needs to happen in order to protect the integrity of sport at the highest level.”

Sport Ireland is a member of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO) and earlier this year joined with 16 other National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADO) to collaborate and draw up a list of recommendations which we believe will help protect clean athletes and the integrity of sport.

Among those recommendations, iNADO are seeking to remove the fundamental conflict of interest which exists when anti-doping decisions are controlled by sports organisations.

In the context of the McClaren report, Dr. May said : “There are positives to take from the latest report  with regard to the global fight against doping in sport in that the report gets to the root of the issue and steps can, and must, now be taken to ensure this never happens again.

 “The report shows how, if given the means and mandate to do so, WADA can protect clean athletes. In that regard WADA must have the capacity to investigate and ensure the prosecution of ADRVs, regardless of sport or country.

“At an international level, it is imperative that NADOs are strong, independent and are adequately resourced to demonstrate that doping in sport is completely unacceptable. Here in Ireland, Sport Ireland’s Anti-Doping Unit continues to work hard to ensure that sport at all levels is kept clean, and will continue to work closely with WADA, other NADOs and all key stakeholders to protect the integrity of sport both at home and internationally.”

More information on Sport Ireland’s Anti-Doping programme can be found here: http://www.sportireland.ie/Anti-Doping/    

Full Recommendations & Proposals from iNADO meeting in August can be viewed here: http://www.antidoping.dk/~/media/AntiDopingDK/Pressemeddelelser/Special_NADO_Summit_Reform_Proposals_Final.pdf