Brian Cookson meets with John Fahey at World Conference on Doping in Sport
International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson has met with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president John Fahey to agree the “broad terms under which the UCI will conduct a Commission of Inquiry into the historical doping problems in cycling,” the UCI has announced. It was reported this morning that the two men were to be meeting today at the World Conference on Doping in Sport, in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the “private meeting” appears to have borne fruit.
Setting up an independent investigation into allegations that “the UCI colluded to cover up past doping offences” was a key part of Cookson’s election manifesto. The investigation will replace the three-member independent commission that was formed late in 2012 and dissolved almost immediately, which was to look into the alleged relationship between Lance Armstrong and the UCI, but will be more wide-ranging.
One obstacle to the setting up of the investigation has been the issue of the treatment of confessing riders being against the WADA code. This will surely have been one of the issues agreed upon by Cookson and Fahey today.
Cookson confirmed that Armstrong himself will be asked to contribute to the investigation, but Cookson and Fahey have both confirmed that any reduction to Armstrong’s life ban – to which the American melodramatically refers to as a “death sentence” – lies in the hands of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as it was the body that sanctioned him.
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Joint statement UCI-WADA on Commission of Inquiry
WADA President John Fahey and UCI President Brian Cookson had a private meeting today on the occasion of the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg.
They agreed the broad terms under which the UCI will conduct a Commission of Inquiry into the historical doping problems in cycling. They further agreed that their respective colleagues would co-operate to finalize the detailed terms and conditions of the Inquiry to ensure that the procedures and ultimate outcomes would be in line with the fundamental rules and principles of the World Anti-Doping Code.
Both Presidents pledged that their organization would work harmoniously to help the sport of cycling move forward in the vanguard of clean sports.