CANBERRA, 10 September 2003 — Australia’s Federal Government said yesterday it would be working with national sporting bodies to improve their anti-doping policies before next year’s Olympics.
A mandatory two-year ban for serious doping offences, barring exceptional circumstances, is central to an anti-doping code established at a World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) summit in Copenhagen in March.
Australia has been attacked by campaigners for failing to crack down on anti-doping offenders, including cricketer Shane Warne, but the government says it is determined that future cases are beyond criticism.
“Let me make it clear...that the government is committed to maintaining a robust and comprehensive drug-testing and education program to deter Australian sportsmen and sportswomen from taking banned substances,” sports minister Rod Kemp told Federal Parliament in Canberra.
“The government is committed...to the implementation of the world anti-doping code prior to Athens in 2004 and the government will be working with Australian sporting bodies to ensure that they are able to implement the code in their sport.”
The code is the first document to harmonize the rules and regulations concerning anti-doping across all countries and all sports.
WADA chairman Dick Pound spoke out in March against the decision by Cricket Australia (CA) in February to suspend Warne for 12 months for testing positive to a banned diuretic. “They found no exceptional circumstances. How is it that you don’t impose the minimum (two-year) penalty?” Pound said.
Pound also said in February that Australia needed to be tough on drugs after Commonwealth Games shooter Phillip Adams of Australia was only given a warning for using a banned diuretic last year. Last year the Australian Rugby Union board admitted that Queensland and Wallaby winger Ben Tune had taken the banned substance probenecid for a knee infection in 2001. Tune also escaped a ban.
