AOC: The President of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), John Coates, will appear at a Senate Inquiry in Canberra on Friday where he will support tougher bans for drug cheats and a targeted campaign to rid sport of corrupt coaches, trainers and sports scientists who convince athletes to cheat.
In a submission supporting the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment Bill 2014 Coates says “the ASADA act is paramount to the protection of clean athletes and their fundamental right to participate in doping free sport and thus promote health, fairness and equality for athletes”.
The amendments which the AOC support include;
- Increasing the ban for athletes using performance enhancing drugs from two years to four years.
- Prohibited Association – banning athletes from dealing with coaches, trainers and sports scientists who have committed anti-doping violations.
- Extending from eight to ten years the period in which investigations can begin into doping offences.
The changes are contained in the new World Anti-Doping Code which comes into force on January 1 2015.
The amendments are necessary for ASADA to be aligned with the World Anti-Doping Agency and its Code.
“These amendments are critical to protecting clean athletes and ensuring the Australian Government’s continued commitment to the Code," Coates said.
“The new WADA Code is a game-changer. From January next year the people pulling the strings, the high performance experts, sports scientists, coaches and trainers will be targeted ... they will have nowhere to hide," he said.
The AOC submission also highlights the need for Governments and National Olympic Committees (AOC) alike - “To respect the autonomy of NADO (National Anti-Doping Organisation) in its country (ASADA) and not to interfere in its operational decisions and activities”.
“The Australian Parliament needs to move on from the so-called blackest day in Australian sport. The issues here are aligning the legislation under which ASADA operates with the World Anti-Doping Code and giving ASADA the means to get on with its work without interference from any of us involved in Australian sport.
“Only then will the integrity of ASADA and its work be ensured."
ASADA has 100% backing of the AOC and Coates reiterates the AOC’s commitment to continue working with ASADA to protect clean athletes.
Coates also dismissed any suggestion the proposed amendments are a breach of human rights.
“The compatibility of the significant changes to the Code with recognised principles of international law and human rights was confirmed in a legal opinion provided by expert and former President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Jean-Paul Costa," Coates said.
Coates cites a paper by former Australian High Court Justice, the Hon Michael Kirby AC, who acknowledges the intellectual leadership and guidance of the ECHR in the development of human rights law in Australia.
The following is athletes quotes, as an excerpt from the AOC submission.
Matthew Dunn – 1992, 1996, 2000 Olympian - Swimming, FINA Bureau member- Australia
“As an ex-athlete I hope all stakeholders will be able to use the new WADA Code with maximum effect to protect all clean athletes and ensure a level playing field”.
Claudia Bokel - 1996, 2000, 2004 Olympian – Fencing, Chair, IOC Athletes Commission-Germany
“I am proud to say that all athletes’ representatives unanimously supported strong bans for athletes convicted of a deliberate and aggravated doping offence. We actually wanted lifetime bans. Clean athletes don’t want to compete against dirty athletes”.
Beckie Scott – 1998, 2002, 2006 Olympian – Cross Country Skiing - Canada
“When I finished third in the Salt Lake City Olympic Games behind two athletes that subsequently tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, it was one of the most heart-breaking, discouraging and frustrating experiences of my life”.
Cydonie Mothersill 1996,2000,04,08,2012 Olympian – Athletics – Cayman Islands
“As a role model, a role I take quite seriously, I am bound to show the youth through my actions that hard work, dedication, self-discipline and plain honesty are still important qualities to attain. They build character and must not be pushed aside in the journey to achieve greatness.”
Kim Crow – 2008, 2012 – Olympian – Rowing - Australia
“For every doper out there, clean athletes suffer. We dedicate our hearts and souls to pursuing our sporting dreams. To have those dreams stolen by cheats is an irreplaceable theft.”
AOC
