The FAI played an active part in the recent World Conference on Doping in Sport, working to ensure that air sports remain free of this objectionable form of cheating, which also constitutes a threat to flight safety. The FAI community will soon be invited to adopt the new World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Code, replacing the Olympic Movement Code which FAI competitors have had to follow until now.
World Conference on Doping in Sport
The World Conference on Doping in Sport, held in Copenhagen from 3 - 5 March 2003, was attended by over 1000 delegates from governments, national anti-doping organisations, Olympic Committees, and international federations. Many governments were represented at ministerial level. The Conference accepted the new World Anti-Doping Code (may be down-loaded at wada-ama.org/en/t1.asp).
A Universal and Effective Anti-Doping Regime
This Code aims at achieving a universal and effective anti-doping regime, applicable to all sports throughout the world. The Conference was widely seen as marking an historical turning pointin the fight against doping in sport. Conference participants undertook to try and obtain agreement from their respective organisations to enable the Code to be formally signed and implemented by mid-2004. The text of the resolution adopted by the Conference is available on WADA's Internet pages.
Governments will use statutory instruments of various kinds to give legal force to the Code in their countries. The International and National Olympic Committees will withdraw financial and other support from any federations that refuse to comply with the Code. The final text of the Code met most of the earlier concerns raised by international federations, including FAI. There is now a new, clearer definition of what constitutes « Doping ». There is provision for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE), in cases where athletes have no option but to take substances on the banned list, for medical reasons. And it is left to FAI to decide what should happen, in team events, if an individual team member violates the anti-doping code.
Competitors' Personal Responsibility
Unchanged is the principle of « strict liability ». This means that it is the personal responsibility of each international air sport competitor to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his / her body. It is not necessary for intent, fault, negligence or knowing use to be proven for a violation to occur.
The current (Olympic) list of prohibited substances is at multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_542.pdf. This list will be replaced by the new WADA list in due course.
FAI Approval of Code
The FAI General Conference in Krakow in October 2003 will be invited to adopt the World Anti-Doping Code.
Meanwhile, those who wish to learn more about WADA's campaign against doping in sport may wish to look at True Game, a program specially developped by WADA.
Lausanne, 12 March 2003
