Anti-drug boss rejects attacks on tracking system

David Howman. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The boss of the World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada) has responded to criticism of the controversial Athletes Whereabouts system, saying "13,000 athletes don't seem to have a problem with it".

David Howman, the New Zealand who is director general of Wada, said there were several misconceptions about the system, which recently saw tennis player Yanina Wickmayer, who was headed to the ASB Classic in January, banned for one year for three times failing to report her whereabouts for testing.

Drug Free Sport NZ chief executive Graeme Steel believed that most organisations were experiencing a "significant degree of athlete resistance or discontent". However, Howman had little sympathy for the detractors, saying it was not compulsory for all athletes to be registered for the Whereabouts system that requires athletes to specify an hour each day (between 6am and 11pm) when they can be tested at a specific location.

"It's up to the national anti-doping organisations, like Drug Free Sport New Zealand, to use their discretion as to who goes into the Whereabouts pool," Howman said. "It was designed to target 'at risk' athletes."

During a two-day anti-doping conference in Auckland last week, Steel was ambivalent about the system, saying it was being applied too broadly and was creating a huge administrative backlog for his staff.

"For the All Blacks and cricketers, for 300 days a year I can pick up the paper and I'll know where they're going to be," Steel said. "Why do they need to go through this rigmarole?"

Howman says teams are able to give Whereabouts information, rather than individuals.

"Graeme has personal views that I don't agree with; that's the stand-off if you like.

"Look, we understand some people are having issues with this - tennis players in particular seem to be having issues so we will need to sit down and talk with tennis next year."

Wada will launch a wide-scale review of the Whereabouts system to determine whether there is consistency among the national anti-doping organisations and international sports federations as to how it is applied. That review would determine whether the system needed tweaking.

"You have to remember there are 13,000 athletes registered who do not seem to be having any problems," Howman said.

Meanwhile, he said it could be some time yet before New Zealand 1500m runner Nick Willis is handed an Olympic silver medal for his performance in Beijing last year. Willis finished third behind Moroccan Rashid Ramzi, who was running under the flag of Bahrain, and Kenya's Asbel Kiprop. Ramzi later tested positive for CERA, a designer blood-boosting drug. Howman said the wait was frustrating.

"The hearing was conducted in June but the decision has not been issued," he said.

"I expect the International Olympic Committee will announce that at their December 15 executive board meeting.

"That will be the doping case decided but then he has the right of appeal. He [Ramzi] could go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport so it could be some time before Nick gets his silver."

On Tuesday, cycling's international body, the UCI, stripped Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin of the silver medal he "won" in the road race in Beijing. The UCI confirmed that the IOC was to disqualify the 37-year-old, who was second behind Spaniard Samuel Sanchez.

Rebellin's disqualification means that the silver will go to Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara and the bronze to Russian Alexandre Kolobnev.