World Anti-Doping Agency attracts severe criticism

02.24.2009 | 10:00 am | gambling

It is very difficult to find a balance between privacy for athletes and sports people and the need to ensure that the world of sport is clean from any performance enhancing drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken on the mantle of setting the drug testing program for various regulators around the world but has received severe criticism over the last few weeks.

Over the last few days we have seen the English football associations suggesting that their players should be exempt from drug testing during the close season when many of them are on holiday. However, critics to this approach claim that this will effectively give those who are tempted to take recreational and performance enhancing drugs a period of “grace” in which they can attempt to cheat the system.

Under the new regulations which have been introduced, any sports person on the National register for testing needs to make themselves available for one-hour between 6 AM and 11 PM three months in advance of a test. Communication between the parties involved takes place online with a messaging system available to ensure that all procedures are followed and there are no misunderstandings.

The world of gambling has in the past been severely affected by suggestions of drug taking because very often when the tests are released into the public domain many bookmakers and betting sites will already have paid out on the “winners”. While there is no doubt that gambling around the world is a massive industry the reputation of sport in general should come first although in this particular situation all parties, including sports people, seem to benefit.

Drug testing, drug taking and the production of new “hidden” drugs have prompted this fairly strong approach which has been taken by WADA and while there are critics, are there any real alternatives?