WADA adopts new revised code

The revision of the Code has been under way for four years and was today adopted by WADA’s Foundation Board and endorsed by the 1000 delegates participating at the World Anti-Doping Agency’s congress in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to John Fahey, WADA president, the acceptance of the code is a milestone in future anti-doping work. “Through the acceptance of the Code and International Standards in South Africa this week, the anti-doping community has left its mark and demonstrated the renewed commitment that both government and the sport movement have towards putting the rights of clean athletes ahead of all others in the years ahead,” Fahey said in a WADA press release.

The new Code includes longer sanctions for the deliberate use of prohibited substances (from 2 to 4 years) and broadens the scope of the international anti-doping work putting more focus on targeted testing and intelligence gathering.

“The result of this process is that we now have a Code which, I believe, offers the best response to combatting the scourge of doping yet: stronger sanctions while maintaining flexibility, greater investigative powers for WADA, a stronger focus on the sharing of information between the sport movement and governments, intelligent testing and risk assessment in relation to different sports, and fair consideration of an athlete’s human rights,” said Fahey in the press release.

The ratification of the Code comes after two days of congress with presentations and interventions from various stakeholders in sport including athletes, national anti-doping agencies, sports organisations and public institutions, who have all been discussing the proposed amendments to the 2015 Anti-Doping Code.

The new code will come into effect 1 January 2015.

More information: WADA Press release WADA’s summery of the significant changes between the 2009 Code and the latest draft of the 2015 Code (version 4.0)