2. The World Anti-Doping Agency is presently considering
the option of putting a blanket ban on countries whose
athletes regularly dope.
WADA President Craig Reedie said such a deterrent could
prove out to be a "pretty blunt instrument" in the war
against doping. However, Reedie added he is waiting on a
report from WADA's independent commission before the
World Anti-Doping Agency decide to push forward with
this strategy. The 74-year-old Reedie said the fact that this
is being discussed as a potential sanction is not entirely
unhelpful and added a blanket ban would be a very, very
serious sanction because it tends to be a pretty blunt
instrument and may be that is required.
3. In the last few weeks, the world governing body of
athletics has came under intense pressure for its stance on
anti-doping after claims made by the Sunday Times and
German broadcaster ARD. The two organizations claimed
the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) failed to create and maintain high standards of
anti-doping. It was claimed by ARD and British newspaper
The Sunday Times that a third of medals awarded in
endurance events in the Olympics and world
championships between 2001-2012 were won by athletes
who had recorded suspicious doping tests in the past. Two
anti-doping experts described over half the 800 athletes
whose blood samples as "highly suggestive of doping or at
the very least abnormal" came from Russia.
