THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) disputed allegations by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that it failed to comply with WADA rules.
WADA announced on its website last Wednesday that it received a formal notification from the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization (PHI-NADO), challenging the ruling that the PSC did not comply with the anti-doping code.
The offices of the World Anti-Doping Agency in Montreal, on November 11, 2021. Andrej Ivanov / AFPThe agency had called on the commission "to comply with the code on developing and implementing effective, intelligent and proportionate Test Distribution Plan and include all Registered Testing Pool athletes from sports or disciplines, among others."
Whether Philippine athletes can participate in international competitions, including the 2024 Paris Olympics in July, is an issue that will be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which will rule whether the Philippines is indeed guilty of violating WADA rules.
Created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the CAS is an independent institution that facilitates "the settlement of sport-related disputes, through arbitration or mediation."
WADA said the consequences of noncompliance "will not apply until CAS makes its ruling."
If the PSC did not contest the WADA allegations, Filipino athletes would have been banned outright from competing as a Philippine delegation at the Olympics, and the country would have been prevented from hosting regional, continental and world championships events.
The Philippines would also lose its WADA privileges and funding, and no Philippine representative can sit as a member of the agency's boards or committees.
In September 2023, WADA notified the PSC to comply with the anti-doping code.
It gave the commission until Jan. 22, 2024 to comply, but extended the deadline to February 13 after it evaluated the PSC's initial submission of requirements.
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