World Anti-Doping Agency chief Craig Reedie believes peace has broken out between his organisation and the IOC after a summer of disputes about how to react to the Russian doping crisis. Report: Matt Slater

Recent months have seen relations between the two deteriorate so badly it seemed the IOC, which provides half of WADA’s £23m annual budget, might sideline the anti-doping regulator and set up a new organisation it could control more closely.

But Craig Reedie told Press Association Sport those fears can be forgotten after senior IOC representatives told a ‘think tank’ in Lausanne this week that WADA was not broken and its central role in protecting clean athletes remained paramount.

“The meeting was at times tense and even provocative, but we had a thorough debate on the issues we all face,” said Reedie.

“And by the end there was a real feeling of goodwill. I think that with a bit of luck the worst is behind us.”

The 75-year-old Scot said the meeting brought together 40 experts from anti-doping, government and sports, and there were discussions about reforms to WADA’s governance, how testing laboratories can be better monitored, support for whistle-blowers and whether a wider range of sanctions would be more effective.

On the thorny issue of money, Reedie said, while the 50/50 funding partnership between governments and sport was still seen as a strength, “everybody acknowledged” £23m was not enough and added there was support for his idea that broadcasters and sponsors should contribute.

Reedie admitted, however, there were no concrete commitments to provide more money to WADA.

Press Association Sport understands that those attending the meeting universally backed Reedie’s leadership of WADA, although some concerns remain about his suitability for such a contentious role, particularly at a time the Montreal-based organisation is under almost daily cyber attack from hackers based in Russia and elsewhere.

The former British Olympic Association chairman has also been accused of being too slow to defend WADA, particularly in the days leading up to the Olympics, with some also suggesting his position on the IOC’s executive board made him reluctant to upset his friends in sport.

But Reedie stood down as an IOC vice-president after the Olympics and a source in Lausanne said it was telling that when Reedie said “we” he meant WADA, not the IOC.

“I did have a conflict of interest before and I chose WADA,” explained Reedie, who also once ran the International Badminton Federation and played a significant role in London’s successful bid for the 2012 Games.