USA Swimming Supports Eliminating FINA’s Power In Drug Testing; WADA Receptive

Growing support is mounting to make radical changes in the oversight of drug testing on athletes in Olympic sports.

USA Swimming recently threw its support behind such a movement when USA Swimming President Jim Sheehan and Executive Director Chuck Wielgus wrote a letter to the Travis Tygart, Chief Executive Officer for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on September 29th.

Dear Travis,

The USA Swimming Board of Directors fully supports USADA’s efforts to bring about change to the global anti-doping efforts and organization. We agree completely with the reforms proposed out of the iNADO summit in Copenhagen at the end of August and we were very pleased that you were a part of the work done by the NADOs that participated.

Anti-doping efforts around the world need to be independent from all sport organizations and from influence from governments. Without true independence and the ability to take on not only those individuals who are cheating but also the systematic programs we have seen causing irreparable harm to the clean athletes of the world.

Thank you for everything you and your colleagues at USADA do in trying to make sport clean and free from the use of performance enhancing drugs both here in the USA and around the world. You have our full support.

Signed Jim Sheehan and Chuck Wielgus

On Saturday, October 8th at the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomed a set of recommendations that would increase its own power in drug testing.

Currently, WADA conducts drug testing for each sport’s federations, but the federations (including FINA) have oversight over what is tested for and what is released. That current arrangement is now coming under scrutiny.

WADA stakeholders first proposed the move to strengthen WADA’s independence and sanctioning power Sept. 20, and WADA’s Executive Committee endorsed the suggestion the following day. But this is far from the end of the line, as WADA will continue to hold discussions on the proposal AND the International Olympic Committee needs final approval on all changes.

In a statement from WADA, President Sir Craig Reedie commended the steps taken in Lausanne.