WADA investigates sweeping doping allegations
August 15, 2015
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced late Friday that it would be investigating claims by Britain's "Sunday Times" and German broadcaster ARD that around one third of medals for endurance races in both the Olympics and world championships were given to competitors with suspicious blood test results.
Earlier this month, the media reports analyzed the results of 12,000 blood readings from 5,000 athletes given between 2001 and 2012. The tests, leaked from the database of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), revealed 800 suspicious cases. WADA said that they have set up an independent commission to investigate the claims.
WADA emphasized, however, that "no test data derived from IAAF database prior to the adoption of the ABP in 2009 can be considered to be proof of doping. It would be reckless, if not libelous, to make such an allegation."
The ABP refers to the Athlete Biological Passport, which according to WADA's website monitors the athlete's biological variables over time to better reveal the effects of taking illegal performance-enhancing substances.
The IAAF denounced the media reports, taking umbrage at the suggestion that it failed to follow up on suspicious readings.
es/bk (AP, dpa)