WITH the Philippine Anti-Doping Organization and Philippine Sports Commission addressing the concerns raised by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a judicious manner, the case may not even reach the Court of Arbitration for Sport at all, officials of the two agencies said yesterday.
“Right now that we are going through the four corrective actions, by the time there is a hearing by CAS, I don’t think they will push through with the hearing, as long as we check the four things there,” said PHI-NADO doping control officer Nathan Vasquez yesterday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at the PSC conference room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Joining Vasquez, who represented indisposed PHI-NADO head Dr. Alex Pineda, were PSC chairman Richard Bachmann and executive director Paulo Tatad in the session supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, PSC, sports gaming portal Arena Plus and Milo.
A UST BS Sports Science graduate, Vasquez, who was the chief doping officer during the 2019 30th Philippine Southeast Asian Games and the 2023 FIBA World Cup hosted by the country, disclosed the four “corrective actions” that PHI-NADO was working on.
“These are the testing and distribution program, anti-biological passport (blood and urine testing), registered testing selection and result management,” he said.
“The second and third points are now satisfactory and in compliance of the WADA Code so we are halfway there. The results management can be done in at least two weeks.”
On the other hand, Bachmann and Tatad allayed fears that the country’s Olympic-bound athletes and those aspiring to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games since no sanctions or penalties have been levelled against the country as of yet.
“There are no sanctions or penalties against our country so our athletes competing and eyeing to compete in the Olympics and other international competitions can be rest assured that we are exhausting all efforts that will not happen,” Bachmann said.
Failing the WADA Code would have meant that Filipino athletes competing international meets could not play for flag and country and would be classified as “authorized neutral entries (ANEs),” while hosting of any international competition in the Philippines would not be allowed as among the sanctions.
“This is why we disputed their (WADA’s) claims about not being non-compliant with the WADA Code. So, now it is going to the CAS. It is automatic that (when you file a) dispute, you go to CAS,” he said.
The issue stemmed from the failed doping test in 2016 of a professional boxer, who fought overseas but was not named due to privacy reasons, that was referred to the local anti-doping agency.
“But since he was a pro boxer, then PHI-NADO has asserted that we have no jurisdiction over the issue,” stressed Vasquez, adding that the WADA legal team was helping them draft the position paper to be presented to the Lausanne-based arbitration body in case it gets there.
Bachmann revealed that Malacañang has gotten wind of the problem “and we are meeting with President Bongbong Marcos on Friday on how he and the Palace can help in resolving the matter.”
Due to PHI-NADO’s huge task of in ensuring national athletes comply with the WADA Code, the PSC chief is asking the Palace for more financial support to expand its personnel and resources.
Bachmann said that PSC requested P48 million but only got P10 million from the national budget Vasquez revealed that the agency’s staff numbers was less than 10.
“We looked at the PHI-NADO’s needs, and the testing alone would require P12 to P13 million.”
“This is why we have asked Malacañang’s help so that PHI-NADO could address their mounting tasks,” he said
Vasquez said that a WADA representative would be coming to the country in April to brief lawmakers on how the PHI-NADO’s authority and budget could be enhanced so that the country would no longer ran afoul of the WADA Code.