Part I : A Questionaire for WADA Signatories

Hello ZENers...


This is a special post, (click here for Part II) because what you see to your left and below, is a questionnaire, that has been developed here at ZEN Central, that is destined to the Signatories of WADA and its infamous CODE.

Note bene: this is NOT a WADA-approved questionnaire, but my own.




Each page reflects, on its right column, official text selected from the WADA CODE 2003 ("WADC 2003"), and on the left column are questions relating mostly to the legal text on that page.



I have hopes to receive some interesting feedback from the various laboratories (Currently numbering 34), who will receive a copy of this independent survey via email.




You can click on each page to receive an A4-sized jpg, which can be printed for study, if you choose to participate.





I have set up a special email account (at some risk of being slammed by various and sundry ne'er-do-wells, or worse), with the hopes that some readers will respond and offer commentary that can also be applied to the cause.







And what, is the cause, one may ask? Since I have begun tracing the trail laid down by WADA, under the guidance (I hesitate to use that term) of its President, Dick Pound, through the focalized world of cycling and testing, I have discerned one or more discrepancies in the WADA CODE, which focus more on the inquisitorial aspects and less on the 'due process' aspects of justice against Athletes accused of doping.






This is not to suggest that doping Athletes should not be rendered before Justice to receive their Doom - it merely points to the facts that the other players are ignored, in a more than curious fashion.



The Questionnaire goes page by page, through the Articles that should enforce the behaviour of Laboratories and other relevant Signatories, and I hope to have noted where the greatest lapses are to be cured, through prompt and unbiased revisions in the upcoming Madrid conference (Nov. 15 - 17, 2007), sponsored by WADA.



There is a post to follow, but I needed to lay out this work first, so I had in place the links to it for Part II.



Interested parties can spread the word, and Athletes more than any, should be following this issue closely.






After all, tis they who sometimes "die" in their sporting careers, at the whim of scientific testing gone awry, through negligence, inattention or improper training.


Being one who believes that he laboratories, as well as the Athletes, should be subject to unannounced testing and visits, I am sure you agree that were improvements are necessary, they should be implemented, not swept behind a curtain; they should be codified, not left to the man pulling the levers of a Sporting world that legitimately is doing everything possible to improve the balance for cleaner, proper Sport.








If you are not of a similar mind, I would respectfully request that you desist from antagonizing myself or others: we have lives, jobs and our precious time is worth respect.





If, again, you are not of a similar mind, please ponder why you resist the change towards a better, more objective and scientifically-neutral codified Sporting law system?



I spent many hours on this Questionnaire: the errors within are entirely my own misfortune. I apologize in advance if you find any egregious errors.














COURAGE, friends!!!

ç*”*”*””*ç”*”* ZENmud ”*””*ç*”*”*””*ç”

WADA do about WADA?

I've been scanning the WADA 2005 Annual Report (“2005 Report”).

It looks similar to various Annual budget documents that I've read, in my former UN System career. My intent was to see how they prioritize their expenditures. What I didn't find are the details that would allow a fuller article to be developed.

WADA remains a Swiss Organization, legally, although its Headquarters is in Montreal, Canada. As I spend a great amount of time in Switzerland, I am going to do my analyses based on their stated and official currency: the Swiss Franc (CHF).

WADA is charged with several functions, as written in the paragraph 'Mission' in its 2005 Annual Report : “to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms”. The thesis herein, is that WADA is neglecting its rôle in coordination, and monitoring, of 'the fight against doping...', through a somewhat 'laisser-faire' attitude towards its accredited laboratories.

What I was looking for, and not seeing, is how WADA might show more than 'accreditation fees', in its mandated authority to receive applications and reward properly-managed facilities with that accreditation. Further, I wanted to see a 'line item' relating to its management of those accredited facilities, such as for periodical (annual, or biennial?) monitoring and competency-testing of all accredited laboratories. The 2005 Report does not disclose such information: this investigation must wait, for other sources of information to be found, or to come available.

The 2005 Report, contains a section entitled 'Statement of Activities' (PDF p.28), which shows that WADA accounted for 'Operating Expenses' in the amount of 22.838 million CHF (some 83.23 % of its 2005 'Total Income' (T-Inc) of some 27.44 million CHF).

The next lines delineate the expenditures, in millions (showing theirrank as percentage of T-Inc), of the seven largest (of thirteen) budget categories:

Salaries(and other related costs):
6.455 million. (28.26 %)
Travel and accomodation: 2.749 (12.04 %)
Testing fees: 2.056 ( 9.00 %)
Research grants: 3.746 (16.04 %)
Administration: 2.776 (12.15 %)
IT costs: 1.601 ( 7.15 %)
Accreditation fees: 0.211 ( 0.92 %)
(2005 Report p28)

In the meantime, certain items are worthy of note.

Travel is WADA's fourth highest expense, far behind Salaries and Research Grants and, at over twelve per cent, is nearly equivalent to its Administration costs.

Can we presume this to be a rational cost basis? In many IGOs, the majority of travel costs are limited towards those holding higher posts. Are Dick Pound and his underlings enjoying the 'high life' in First Class, as they circle the globe from Summer Olympics to Equestrian World Championships to editions of the cycling Tour de France?

The minimal amount received from Accreditation and renewal fees received from Laboratories must be adjudged in combination with the Annual contributions that WADA receives. As 'Annual contributions', WADA receives funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and from Governments, which in 2005 equaled 10.9 and 12.45 million, respectively.

Unfortunately for 'transparency', there is no itemized accounting for 'research projects' within the 2005 Report, they are lumped together. The methodology used to attribute pay-outs for such research projects depends on the longevity of the project: multi-year projects receive varying portions depending on their nature. This isn't in dispute.

However, there exists no accounting for the use of WADA funds for testing of labs, nor investigation of labs whose accreditation may be subject to suspension or withdrawal, as might have been the case if WADA had undertaken the investigation of the LNDD in 2005 as suggested by the Vrijman Report from the UCI, as well as the associated letter written and sent to WADA by the ASOIF and the IOC Athletes Commission.

How can this investigation go the necessary, further step?

ZENmud will leave you with a quote from the 2005 Report, that has ties to our quest: "

Management expects legal fees to keep increasing significantly over the next few years. This is certainly not a surprise and it was raised at both the Board and the Executive Committee meetings. This reflects the responsibility that WADA has under the Code.

Hard to hope, that in the rising budget of WADA, are funds for investigation and appeals against sanctioned Laboratories. If WADA continues its whitewashing of the LNDD Affaire, it will show up soon enough in a sea.-change for the Organization.

Rather than insinuate, à la "L'EQUIPE", ZENmud will strive to locate the info that forges together links in this chain: bringing to light internal WADA practices, to establish that proper priorities have been established, for the correct use of WADA funding and expertise.

COURAGE

ç*”*”*””*ç”*”* ZENmud ”*””*ç*”*”*””*ç”