Many of the world’s leaders of National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO) have put out a call for a meeting with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss reforms for global drug testing systems.
Reports from Inside The Games note that the call came during a NADO meeting in Bonn where it was pledged that “no decision maker within any anti-doping organization should hold a board, office, or other policy-making position within a sport or event organizer.”
The meeting between NADO leaders, Bach, and WADA would give everyone the opportunity to further discussions about current reform ideas, while promoting an anti-doping model that is independent and free from the influence of sport.
NADO leaders released a joint statement where they explained that they want athletes “to compete clean and win.” The group continued their statement by noting,
We must restore confidence that anti-doping efforts truly protect the rights of clean athletes, as well as the public’s desire for a fair and level playing field. All of the reforms agreed upon today, especially ensuring sport interests do not influence the global regulator–WADA– will help to better protect the rights of clean athletes and uphold a level playing field.
In addition to their push to protect the rights of athletes, the group also asked that the IOC condemn and put a final end to the cyber-espionage group Fancy Bear.
NADO’s that were present at the meeting and contributed to the drawing-up of proposals include: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.
Read the full report from Inside The Games here.