Earlier this year, the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Executive Committee passed a resolution pursuant to which the USOC will announce an athlete’s presumed positive doping test result or other doping rules violation 30 days after the disclosure to the USOC of a determination by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) Anti-Doping Review Board that sufficient evidence of doping exists to proceed to a hearing.
Under the current USADA protocol, USADA notifies the USOC of the results of testing after USADA receives positive test reports from the laboratory. USADA also provides notification to the USOC later in the process after USADA’s Anti-Doping Review Board determines that there is sufficient evidence of doping in a particular case to proceed to a hearing.
Under the new USOC policy, for each athlete whose case has not been resolved before the expiration of the 30-day period, the USOC will issue a short release stating the athlete’s name, the substance for which the athlete tested positive or identification of any other doping violation, and a brief statement stating whether the athlete is arbitrating USADA’s determination that a doping offense has occurred. This new USOC disclosure policy will apply to all tests conducted after the date of this announcement.
“The USOC is committed to fighting doping in Olympic sport, and we believe that the implementation of this new approach ensures that our doping process is as transparent as possible while allowing athletes a reasonable opportunity to have their cases adjudicated prior to public disclosure,” said USOC Acting CEO Scott Blackmun, the architect of the new rule.
“This new policy demonstrates that the anti-doping system implemented by the USADA and USOC in the United States remains a step ahead of the rest of the world in its accountability, transparency, and commitment to eradicating doping in sport,” said USADA CEO Terry Madden.
USADA is the independent anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States, and is responsible for managing the testing and adjudication process for U.S. Olympic, Pan Am and Paralympic athletes. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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