NEW DELHI: The World Anti-Doping Agency has categorically rejected arguments put forth by the BCCI claiming that WADA’s national equivalent NADA has no locus standi in the matter of testing cricketers since the Indian cricket board is an autonomous body affiliated with the ICC.
“Pursuant to the World Anti-Doping Code, NADA India has testing authority over athletes who are nationals, residents, licence-holders or members of sport organisations in India or who are present in India,” Maggie Durand, coordinator, Wada’s media relations and communications, stated to Times of India.
“BCCI has prevented NADA India from conducting testing on athletes from the sport of cricket. Wada is currently addressing this issue with the relevant anti-doping organisations within its Compliance Monitoring Program,” Durand further stated.
Wada’s reply came in response to TOI’s specific queries regarding BCCI’s recent communication to the Sports Ministry, WADA and NADA.
In the letter addressed to the Sports Secretary, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri had said, “BCCI would like to assure you that it has a zero tolerance approach to doping in the sport of cricket and is committed to encourage fair play in sports. BCCI follows the highest professional and ethical standards laid down by WADA to ensure that the cricketers compete in a doping-free environment in India.”
“BCCI is an autonomous sports organisation affiliated with the International Cricket Council (ICC), which governs the game globally and is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code since 2006. Whilst the BCCI acknowledges that NADA is the nodal agency responsible for implementation of anti-doping measures for all National Sports Federations in India, the BCCI is not subject to the jurisdiction of NADA and is required to operate within the rules and regulation set by the ICC,” it added.
The ministry had stepped up pressure on the BCCI earlier this month, saying the NADA could earn the wrath of WADA for non compliance. The BCCI however has maintained that it need not be governed by NADA since it is not a national sports federation.
Johri’s letter had further noted, “The BCCI already has a robust dope testing mechanism which is employed for both during competitions and out-of-competitions and the testing of samples by IDTM is already being done at WADA accredited laboratory (NDTL) under aegis of the Sports Ministry. You will appreciate that for analysis and testing of samples, BCCI adheres to the WADA International Standard of Laboratories and the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations.”
The Committee of Administrators, too, had ruled that the CoA was satisfied with the current anti-doping system in place and that it felt there was no need for the top Indian cricket players to sign the ‘whereabouts clause’.
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