Govt forms parallel anti-doping agency, to be headed by DG PSB

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) draws the first blood following verbal blame game, forming a parallel Anti-Doping Organisation of Pakistan (ADOP) against the one approved by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The government-backed ADOP will be headed by none other than the Director-General Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) as Chairman. The IPC Minister will be the Patron in Chief of the ADOP, while the PSB Medical Board and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) will be the members of this newly formed parallel ADOP.

The notification to this effect was issued on September 15, 2021, with the signatures of Muhammad Shahid (Deputy Director-General PSB) who these days is also heading the PCB Medical Department.

The ADOP that is already working in the country is headed by Dr Waqar Ahmad and is duly approved by WADA. From 2008 to 2021, the ADOP headed by Dr Waqar Ahmad was backed and supported by the PSB as well as by the POA.

Following what happened in Russia, WADA has implemented new rules and regulations from January 2021, according to which no government, federation, or POA official can or should not be having any direct or indirect link with the working of ADOP which should work independently.

WADA rules clearly say:

20.5 Roles and Responsibilities of National Anti-Doping Organizations

20.5.1 To be independent in their operational decisions and activities from sport and government, including without limitation by prohibiting any involvement in their operational decisions or activities by any person who is at the same time involved in the management or operations of any International Federation, National Federation, Major Event Organization, National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, or government department with responsibility for sport or anti-doping.’”

The basic guideline, as given by WADA for the formation of the ADOP, is:

1. National Anti-Doping Organization should be set up as an independent Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) entity whose Members shall not be involved in any way in the Development, Medical or training Supervision and selection of athletes etc. eg (Sports Board, POA and NF) as that would cause a direct conflict of interest when it will come to Dope testing these athletes. So the first step for Pakistan Anti Doping Organization is to elect its office bearers totally independent of PSB, POA and NSA members. Otherwise, this would be a WADA / UNESCO non-compliance issue and Pakistan can come under sanctions.

2. To ensure National Anti Doping Code / Rules are in line with the latest WADA Code.

3. Government legislations to be in place through the parliamentary Bill to give legal cover to the Doping Control Policy of Pakistan under it NADOP (National Anti Doping Organization of Pakistan. This is important in order to make all concerned Ministries and Department start cooperating against the war on Doping in sports.

WADA continues to recognize Dr Waqar as the head of the ADOP (as is mentioned on WADA website).

Surprisingly, the PSB issued notification has been circulated amongst some federations and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

It is the PCB has been left in a fix over the newly issued notification by the PSB as around the year, it has to conduct testing on cricketers involved in domestic. Since the newly formed body has no WADA backing, tests conducted by the PSB would be having no legal value.

The PSB notification which is available with this correspondent gives all the powers to the government officials to run ADOP in Pakistan-a step that could have serious implications on the future of sports activities in the country.

PSB high officials when contacted did not pick the call. However, another official working in the concerned department has confirmed that the parallel NADO has been formed which will be headed by DG PSB as its chairman.