Iaaf Comments on Independent Commission's Report #1
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IAAF COMMENTS ON INDEPENDENT COMMISSION'S REPORT #1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On 9 November 2015, the Independent Commission issued a report (the IC Report) that set out evidence of widespread doping by Russian athletes, but also suggested that 'particular highly placed members and officials of IAAF' may have taken bribes to delay the bringing of anti-doping charges against certain athletes in 2012. On that basis, the Independent Commission suggested that it had 'identified systemic failures within the IAAF and Russia that prevent or diminish the possibility of an effective anti-doping program …'. These allegations of corruption by individuals formerly associated with the IAAF are truly abhorrent, and the IAAF cannot, and does not, seek to avoid or downplay them in any way. The IAAF wishes to salute the courage of the whistle-blowers (including its own staff members) who have helped to expose the wrongdoing described in the IC Report. It will do everything in its power to punish the wrongdoers and to reform its own systems to make sure that no one can ever again interfere improperly with its anti-doping procedures. However, the IAAF believes it is also important to point out that: ñ No doping case has been covered up by the IAAF. All cases that should have been pursued were pursued and all cases that should have been sanctioned were sanctioned in accordance with IAAF Rules and the World Anti-Doping Code. ñ The IAAF is aware of four cases where (as the Independent Commission suggests) there were unexplained and suspicious delays in the prescribed results management process. These delays ranged between 3 and 6 months, from June 2012 to September-December 2012, before the athletes were provisionally suspended or they withdrew from competition. All four cases have since been concluded with doping violations and lengthy bans of more than 2 years. ñ Only a very small number of individuals formerly associated with the IAAF are believed to have been involved in the alleged corruption of these four cases. The Independent Commission itself has emphasised in its first report that 'the allegations of corrupt behaviour affect a fraction of the many hard-working and committed men and women of the IAAF and ARAF. The IC was impressed by the courage of several staff members of the IAAF and whistle-blowers within Russian athletics, who took a stand against corruption within their sport'. ñ In fact, without ever being aware of the alleged corruption, those IAAF staff members objected to what they considered to be inappropriate delays in the results management of the ABP cases in question and took repeated action to ensure that the athletes were withdrawn from competition before the end of 2012. The IAAF staff also succeeded in ensuring that each of the cases resulted in lengthy bans for the athletes and that all tainted competition results were disqualified (including medal performances by two of the athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games). ñ As soon as they became aware of allegations of corrupt conduct, those same IAAF staff members also ensured that the matter was brought to the immediate attention of the IAAF Ethics Commission in April 2014, and thereafter they cooperated fully with the Commission’s investigation of the matter, which last week culminated in four of the individuals involved being found guilty of multiple breaches of the IAAF Code of Ethics. ñ The IAAF is not aware of any other interference with any other aspect of the work of the IAAF Medical & Anti-Doping Department. To the contrary, the IAAF believes that the work of that Department continues to be at the cutting edge of the fight against doping in sport, with results 1 IAAF COMMENTS ON INDEPENDENT COMMISSION'S REPORT #1 that match or exceed those of any other anti-doping organisation. There is no allegation or suspicion of interference in any of the thousands of other doping files handled by the IAAF. ñ In particular, there can be no doubt as to the IAAF’s commitment to the fight against doping in Russian athletics. Since 2011, 76 elite Russian athletes have been sanctioned thanks to the IAAF anti-doping programme, including 33 on the basis of the IAAF’s ABP programme. The IAAF has caught and sanctioned more athletes in Russia than any other international federation. ñ The IAAF offers this analysis not to try to downplay or distract from the allegations of corruption in the IC Report, but only to reassure the Athletics community that it has not been failing to take effective action in the fight against doping in its sport, but instead has had, and continues to have, many dedicated professionals fighting that fight robustly and to good effect. There is no systemic corruption within the IAAF, but instead a dedicated staff with high ethical standards whose work has contributed greatly to the fight against doping. The IAAF trusts that the actions of an alleged corrupt few will not be allowed to take away from that fact. END IAAF COMMENTS ON INDEPENDENT COMMISSION'S REPORT #1 Introduction On 9 November 2015, the Independent Commission appointed by WADA issued a report (the IC Report) that set out evidence of widespread doping by Russian athletes, but also suggested that 'particular highly placed members and officials of IAAF' may have taken bribes to delay the bringing of anti-doping charges against certain athletes in 2012, thereby enabling those athletes to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games, when they should properly have been excluded. On that basis, the Independent Commission suggested that it had 'identified systemic failures within the IAAF and Russia that prevent or diminish the possibility of an effective anti-doping program …'. These allegations of corruption by individuals formerly associated with the IAAF are truly abhorrent, and the IAAF cannot, and does not, seek to avoid or downplay them in any way. The IAAF wishes to salute the courage of Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Stepanova and the other whistle-blowers (including its own staff members) who have helped to expose the wrongdoing described in the IC Report. It will do everything in its power to punish the wrongdoers and to reform its own systems to make sure that no one can ever again interfere improperly with its anti-doping procedures. However, the IAAF believes it is also important to point out that: ñ No doping cAse hAs been covered up by the IAAF. All cAses thAt should hAve been pursued were pursued And (where the chArges hAve been upheld) All cAses thAt should hAve been sAnctioned were sAnctioned in AccordAnce with IAAF Rules And the World Anti-Doping Code. Where this outcome wAs not Achieved At first instance, the IAAF hAs AppeAled to the CAS to ensure a proper outcome. 2 IAAF COMMENTS ON INDEPENDENT COMMISSION'S REPORT #1 ñ The IAAF is aware of four cases (but only four, all of them Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) cases) where (as the Independent Commission suggests) there were unexplained and suspicious delays in the prescribed results management process. These delays ranged between 3 and 6 months, from June 2012 to September-December 2012, before the athletes were provisionally suspended or they withdrew from competition. All four cases were eventually concluded with doping violations and aggravated sanctions of more than 2 years. (See para 2.3 below) ñ Only a very small number of individuals associated with the IAAF is believed to have been involved in the alleged corruption of these four cases. The Independent Commission itself has emphasised in its report that 'the allegations of corrupt behaviour affect a fraction of the many hard-working and committed men and women of the IAAF and ARAF. The IC was impressed by the courage of several staff members of the IAAF and whistle-blowers within Russian athletics, who took a stand against corruption within their sport'. (See para 1.22 below). ñ In fact, without ever being aware of the alleged corruption, those IAAF staff members objected to what they considered to be inappropriate delays in the results management of the ABP cases in question and took repeated action to ensure that the cases were not covered up. In particular, they ensured that charges were brought and provisional suspensions were imposed or the athlete withdrew from competition in each of the cases before the end of 2012. The IAAF staff also worked hard to ensure that each of the cases eventually culminated in lengthy bans for the athletes involved, as well as in the disqualification of all tainted competition results in contested proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (including the medals won by two of the athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games). ñ As soon as they became aware of allegations of corrupt conduct, those same IAAF staff members also ensured that the matter was brought to the immediate attention of the IAAF Ethics Commission in April 2014, and thereafter they cooperated fully with the Ethics Commission’s investigation of the matter, which has culminated in four of the individuals involved being found guilty of multiple breaches of the Code of Ethics, three of whom have been banned from the sport for life. ñ The IAAF is not aware of any other interference with any other aspect of the work of the IAAF Medical & Anti-Doping Department, including its decisions as to which athletes to include in its Registered Testing Pool, as to which athletes to test, and when, as to its management of ABP cases, and/or as to its results management in doping cases generally. ñ To the contrAry, in eAch of those areas, the IAAF sincerely believes thAt the work of the IAAF MedicAl & Anti-Doping DepArtment continues to be At the cutting edge of the fight AgAinst doping in sport, using All AvAilAble tools in order to pursue intelligent testing thAt effectively detects And discourAges doping in Athletics, with results thAt match or exceed those of Any other Anti-doping orgAnisAtion.