- Title: WADA President looking to build bridges with Russia
- Date: 20th November 2016
- Summary: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 20, 2016)(REUTERS) START OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRAIG REEDIE, PRESIDENT OF WADA, SAYS: "Well it was a question, a point, made in the debate by Dick Pound. My guess is that Vitaly would be saying this is not a permanent feature of life in my country. I think the facts are the McLaren investigation indicates that there had been breaches of the code involving the Moscow laboratory and the ministry of sport and to that extent that's the scale of the exercise that we understand and we have to deal with. I am really, really keen after two very, very long and unpleasant years to put that experience behind us and to move forward. We do need to have Russia compliant and then we need to get on with all the other things that will prove this agency." VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRAIG REEDIE, PRESIDENT OF WADA, SAYS: "I think the establishment by President Putin of an independent commission run by a highly respected Olympic figure is a very good thing. I have known Vitaly Smirnov for many many years and his report today seemed to me to flow on very naturally from what WADA said. And I think we are making progress, and I wish him every success, and I would like to do this as quickly as we possibly coud and to that extent I am in his hands." VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRAIG REEDIE, PRESIDENT OF WADA, SAYS: "The accusations against Sochi came to a climax in February 2014 - that's two years ago. I don't have the statistics to my fingertips but I suspect that testing that has been done by UK Anti-Doping across all Russian sports over the last period will have shown a marked improvement and that gives me some confidence. The simple answer is, they are the biggest country in the world, very enthusiastic sporting country, not only do they want to take part in competitions, they want to host competitions. The world of sport will run better with a really compliant Russia involved." VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRAIG REEDIE, PRESIDENT OF WADA, SPEAKING ABOUT RELATIONS BETWEEN WADA AND INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMISSION, SAYS: "I think my relationship with the IOC has almost always been warm and in an area of partnership. It was slightly less warm a few days ago at the ANOC meeting when I got a series of questions you normally would not expect to get from partners. But I am really encouraged today because if you listen to the discussion, particularly on the areas of compliance, particularly on the areas of whistle-blowing, what we have been doing is very strongly supported, not only by the athletes who led that, but by the Olympic movement so I will sleep comfortably tonight." END OF NEWS CONFERENCE, CRAIG REEDIE SPEAKING WITH WADA DIRECTOR GENERAL OLIVIER NIGGLI
- Embargoed: 5th December 2016 18:16
- Keywords: Craig Reedie WADA Dick Pound Vitaly Smirnov
- Location: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK
- City: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001598ZEIN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: President of WADA Craig Reedie spoke to ease relations after Russia's new anti-doping chief Vitaly Smirnov told the World Anti-Doping Agency on Sunday (November 20) that the country had "never had a state-sponsored system of doping".
Smirnov, a senior figure in Soviet and Russian sport as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member from 1971 to 2015, told a WADA Foundation meeting of delegates from governments and the Olympic world, that the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs was a global problem.
At a question and answer session Reedie said he thought Smirnov was saying there had been breaches of the anti-doping code between a Moscow laboratory and the Russian Ministry of Sport. Reedie added that after two years he was keen to move on from the topic.
"My guess is that Vitaly would be saying this is not a permanent feature of life in my country," Reedie told reporters at the end of the meeting in Glasgow. "I think the facts are the McLaren investigation indicates that there had been breaches of the code involving the Moscow laboratory and the ministry of sport and to that extent that's the scale of the exercise that we understand and we have to deal with.
I am really, really keen after two very, very long and unpleasant years to put that experience behind us and to move forward. We do need to have Russia compliant and then we need to get on with all the other things that will prove this agency."
WADA recommended that the entire Russian team be excluded from the Rio Olympics in August after accusing Russia of a systemic state-sponsored doping programme in its independent report by Richard McLaren, published just before the Games.
Although Russian track and field athletes were banned from Rio, the IOC rejected the proposal of a blanket ban and instead let international sports federations decide which athletes should be eligible to compete.
WADA Director General Olivier Niggli told the meeting that a second report from Canadian lawyer McLaren was set to be published on Dec 9. It is expected to provide more detail on the alleged Russian cheating and focus more on winter sports.
Yet Reedie was keen to welcome Smirnov's involvement and to move on.
"The accusations against Sochi came to a climax in February 2014 - that's two years ago," he said. "I don't have the statistics to my fingertips but I suspect that testing that has been done by UK Anti-Doping across all Russian sports over the last period will have shown a marked improvement and that gives me some confidence.
The simple answer is, they are the biggest country in the world, very enthusiastic sporting country, not only do they want to take part in competitions, they want to host competitions. The world of sport will run better with a really compliant Russia involved."
Reedie was asked about his relations with the IOC, strained when the IOC refused a blanket ban of Russia and instead delegated the decisions to sport federations. Reedie said he had been subjected to questions at a recent Association of National Olympic Committees in Doha which he had not expected from partners.
The criticism came after WADA announced it was suspending the accreditation of Doha's anti-doping testing laboratory on the eve of the ANOC meeting. This drew hostile questions from delegates about the aim of WADA.
However Reedie, who was re-elected in Glasgow for a second three-year term, said he was encouraged by the reception of new proposals in the Scottish meeting.
"I am really encouraged today because if you listen to the discussion, particularly on the areas of compliance, particularly on the areas of whistle-blowing, what we have been doing is very strongly supported, not only by the athletes who led that, but by the Olympic movement so I will sleep comfortably tonight," he said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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