IOC, WADA urge faster doping code compliance

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged countries yesterday to speed up ratification of a UNESCO doping convention that would boost their arsenal against drugs cheats.

They also said all international sports federations should comply with the new WADA code that comes into force on January 1, 2009.

The UNESCO convention ensures countries adopt the WADA code, crack down on cross-border doping substance trafficking, withhold funding from athletes caught doping and set up a national anti-doping programme.

Ratification has been slow with only 87 countries having signed to the convention, up from just over 30 during the Athens Games four years ago, IOC president Jacques Rogge said.

"I make an appeal to the governments to accelerate the ratification of the UNESCO treaty," Rogge told his organisation's annual session.

Compliance with the WADA code is also lagging among international sports federations.

"I call upon National Olympic Committees and International Federations that we meet the deadline of compliance," Rogge said. Former WADA chief Dick Pound said last year a significant number of federations had yet to sign up, risking exclusion from Olympic Games.

"Together we must and will continue to become more and more effective in stemming the scourge of doping," WADA chief John Fahey, who succeeded Pound late last year, told the IOC session.

The WADA code provides tougher bans for first-time offenders, doubling suspensions from two to four years, depending on the case.

Aggravating circumstances include being part of a large doping scheme, taking drugs for a long period of time or systematically taking a cocktail of banned substances.

It also offers reduced bans for athletes offering information on drugs in the form of plea bargains.

More leniency is given to athletes who have taken a banned substance without intent to enhance their sporting performance, who could avoid sanctions altogether.

Fahey also warned drugs cheats in Beijing preparations were in place to catch them.

"We can be sure that whoever dopes risks getting caught and testing will be more frequent and significant than any other Games," Fahey said.

The IOC will run some 4,500 tests during the Aug. 8-24 Games, more than in any other Games.