Latest news with #antiDoping
Reuters
2 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Banka re-elected for third and final term as WADA president
May 29 (Reuters) - Witold Banka was re-elected for a third and final three-year term as president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the organisation said on Thursday. The third term for Banka, a former middle-distance runner, will begin in January and run until the end of 2028. WADA vice president Yang Yang was also re-elected for a third and final three-year term. In a virtual address to the WADA Foundation Board following his re-election, Banka said he and Yang are committed to elevating the athlete experience, strengthening the global anti-doping system and expanding the impact of their science, education and intelligence work. "We are energized by innovation, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that clean sport matters," said Banka. "I can assure everyone here that we will work harder than ever to protect the integrity of sport and the dreams of the most important stakeholder of all, the athletes."
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
Doping-Banka re-elected for third and final term as WADA president
Witold Banka was re-elected for a third and final three-year term as president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the organisation said on Thursday. The third term for Banka, a former middle-distance runner, will begin in January and run until the end of 2028. WADA vice president Yang Yang was also re-elected for a third and final three-year term. In a virtual address to the WADA Foundation Board following his re-election, Banka said he and Yang are committed to elevating the athlete experience, strengthening the global anti-doping system and expanding the impact of their science, education and intelligence work. "We are energized by innovation, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that clean sport matters," said Banka. "I can assure everyone here that we will work harder than ever to protect the integrity of sport and the dreams of the most important stakeholder of all, the athletes."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Jack Draper opens up about the 'awkward' and 'weird' side-effects of anti-doping tests as British No 1 gears up to face home favourite Gael Monfils in French Open second-round clash
Jack Draper shed light on the embarrassing side of tennis' rigorous anti-doping protocols, with the British No1 admitting that he believes it is a 'tough job' for the testers as well as the players. The 23-year-old - as with all players on the WTA and ATP tours - will be routinely subject to the sport's programme, which is overseen by the International Tennis Integrity Agency and frequently come under fire for being at times draconian in its thoroughness. At the start of the French Open, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka opened up on a 'scary' experience she had when she was targeted by anti-doping control in Paris. Osaka was woken up at 5am for to undergo a blood test, with the tester struggling to find a vein to take a sample and leaving the player bruised from multiple attempts. But Draper managed to find a lighter side to the omnipresence of testing for players, albeit revealing how invasive testing can be. 'It's obviously a difficult moment, right?' Draper admitted when asked about his thoughts on how it feels to be watched when providing a urine sample. 'You kind of - sometimes, you push so hard that you're farting and you're right next to them. So it's a tough job for them as well. 'I always keep that in mind, some people get annoyed and stuff because it is a very intimate situation. But at the end of the day, I feel for that person as well. It's their job. 'But it is sometimes difficult as well. If it's really late and stuff and you want to get cracking on with whatever you're doing next (...) you've got to wait around and do that for a long time. 'It's difficult because you're losing sleep. But I also think it's a tough job for them as well. It's not easy. Some awkward moments for sure.' Tennis players must make themselves available for potential testing at all times and provide their current location in order to ensure they do not miss a drugs test - which could itself incur a suspension. There is greater noise around anti-doping too, in the wake of two high-profile suspensions on the men's and women's tours for world number one Jannik Sinner and former world number one Iga Swiatek. Sinner has just returned from a three-months suspension after coming to an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February. WADA had previously appealed Sinner's initial verdict which had found him cleared of negligence or liability after testing positive for banned substance clostebol in March 2024. Sinner argued that his physiotherapist had contaminated him after using the steroid cream for a cut on his finger, and subsequently giving him treatment. Swiatek was handed a one-month ban in September after testing positive for trimetazidine in August of last year, which was found to have been present through contamination of her prescribed melatonin at the production stage. Emma Raducanu admitted earlier this month that the recent suspensions had made her almost paranoid about taking medication, even if it is not on the prohibited list. 'I don't want to take anything even if the doctors are saying you should take this - just out of risk of contamination,' Raducanu said. 'Even if it's not prohibited on the anti-doping list, you don't know if it's contaminated by another product. 'It can show a green tick, but if it's contaminated you will still get screwed over. We could go to a restaurant and someone could put something in our drink. It's really hard, especially if you are noticeable and the waiter recognises you. It's something I do worry about - nervous every time.' Draper will continue his work in Paris after beating Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in his first-round clash, but faces a hostile atmosphere in Paris in his next match. The Indian Wells champion will play home favourite Gael Monfils after the French veteran came through against Hugo Dellien in five sets late on Tuesday night.
CNA
4 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Griekspoor finds friendship during awkward waits in anti-doping process
PARIS :Dutch tennis player Tallon Griekspoor said he had formed an unexpected bond in the awkward moments of the sport's anti-doping process after striking a friendship with an official while waiting for the urge to pee into sample containers. Anti-doping protocols in tennis are based on the World Anti-Doping Agency code and its whereabouts rules require players to designate a 60-minute slot for each day they will be available to provide blood or urine samples to officials. The unglamorous process can take place at tournaments or out-of-competition in training venues, tournament hotels or even an athlete's home, with three missed tests in a 12-month period grounds for a doping violation. World number 35 Griekspoor said at the French Open that he found some positives in the burdensome process when his bladder failed to cooperate quickly. "A couple of times I peed and 30 minutes later the guy rings the doorbell and he's sitting on my couch for three hours. I'm not the best pee-er when somebody's watching," the 28-year-old told reporters. "At the same time it is what it is. I'm not the best in keeping the location up to date. Sometimes it's a struggle but overall it's fine. You get to know these people. "The guy who comes to my home is a pretty nice guy. I have fun chats with him sometimes." Griekspoor's comments come as tennis finds itself under the spotlight over high-profile doping violations involving Italian Jannik Sinner and Poland's Iga Swiatek, with both players back on the circuit after serving short bans. While vigilance remains the watchword, some players still complain about the inconvenience of the system, with four-times Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka saying she recently provided a blood sample at 5:00 a.m., a time she had allotted. The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which runs the sport's anti-doping programme, said it was committed to helping players navigate any issues. "We recognise that anti-doping testing can be challenging and uncomfortable for players, however it is vital that there is a robust programme in place to protect the sport," the body told Reuters via email. "This includes out of competition testing, as well as testing at events. We are here to help and support players and urge them to contact us if they have questions about testing or need help with the whereabouts process." Russia's former world number one Daniil Medvedev said the system sometimes disrupted carefully calibrated routines and led to missed tests. "It's a hassle, because I myself ... had two missed tests," Medvedev added. "It's actually very tricky. People think, 'Oh, how can he miss it? Try travelling 25 countries a year. Try not to forget one date that you're not in Monaco but in Paris already and change it.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
German anti-doping body has not been publishing names of drug cheats, broadcaster says
The National Anti Doping Agency of Germany (Nada) has not published the name of convicted doping offenders for a few years, according to a report by broadcasters ARD published on Sunday. Advertisement The report said that some 90 per cent of cases in the past five years have not been made public. According to ARD calculations, the number of athletes who committed a doping-related offence is between 70 and 130. The Nada cited legal risks and data protection as a reason. 'In its anti-doping work, the Nada is committed to transparency, accountability and valid decisions. However, this goes against the current data protection legislation,' Nada CEO Lars Mortsiefer was quoted in the report. According to the report, cases have not been published in the recent past, but only acknowledged when there were concrete media inquiries about cases that had become known by name. Nada's Lars Mortsiefer said names were not published due to legal risks and data protection. Photo: dpa ARD said that athletes from at least 18 Olympic sports are affected, but did not provide any information on how well known and successful the convicted athletes from these sports are.
