In 1994 the NZ Government signed the International Anti-Doping Arrangement an agreement between five countries (now nine countries, Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland)

Did ya notice that Russia is not with that group?

World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate

Associated Press

LONDON -- The World Anti-Doping Agency is ready to investigate reports that five Italian gold-medal winners at the Sydney Olympics registered high levels of human growth hormone in blood tests earlier this year.

Canadian officials have asked the agency to look into the allegations and determine whether the athletes committed doping violations and should be sanctioned.

Harri Syvasalmi, WADA's secretary general, said Thursday he expects the agency will ask Italian authorities for an explanation and offer to carry out an independent inquiry.

"It's only natural we should send a letter asking to be informed," he said in a telephone interview from Lausanne, Switzerland. "We will be proposing that we would be able to be part of the independent (investigation) of the situation."

Syvasalmi noted that, earlier this year, WADA asked Australian authorities for a report following publication of a book by former discus thrower Werner Reiterer, who alleged that sports officials condoned and covered up systematic doping among elite Australian athletes.

"In a way, this Italian situation is similar to that," Syvasalmi said. "We will ask a few questions of them. We want to clarify whether (the allegations) are true or not. These sort of allegations and perceptions should be answered.

"WADA is an independent body of experts. It's natural and logical that we should have more information on that. It's our job. It's our duty. There's a need to investigate the issue carefully. We can offer our services to investigate. We could give an independent platform for that."

Corriere della Sera newspaper reported Saturday that 61 Italian athletes showed high levels of human growth hormone, or hGH, in blood tests carried out last spring and summer.

Among the athletes were five who went on to win gold medals in Sydney: kayaker Josefa Idem Guerrini, swimmer Massimiliano Rosolino, rower Agostino Abbagnale, cyclist Antonella Bellutti and fencer Giovanna Trillini.

No Italians failed drug tests in Sydney. The five gold medalists have denied any wrongdoing, and the Italian Olympic Committee branded the doping claims as "morally irresponsible."

While hGH is on the IOC's list of banned substances, no valid scientific test has been approved for detecting the drug.

Dick Pound, a Canadian who chairs WADA and is a senior IOC official, gave a cautious assessment.

"I don't know what these so-called tests were," he said by telephone from Montreal. "I have no idea what the effect of major physical training might be on hormones. There certainly seems to be data that suggests that rigorous training would increase the levels beyond what they otherwise might be."

Canadian officials have been pushing for an investigation on behalf of kayaker Caroline Brunet, who finished second behind Guerrini in the 500-meter K-1 final in Sydney. "We understand there is no internationally accepted standard test for the human growth hormone and that this case remains an Italian Olympic Committee issue," Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive Carol Anne Letheren said in a letter to WADA and IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

"However, given WADA's strong stand against performance-enhancing drugs, especially human growth hormone, we feel it is critical that WADA investigate these allegations and impose sanctions, as warranted."

The Canadian secretary of state for amateur sport, Denis Coderre, has supported calls for an inquiry.

On Wednesday, Italian Sports and Culture Minister Giovanna Melandri came out in defense of the Italian athletes.

"It is incumbent upon us to defend and respect the performance of our athletes in Sydney and above all their personal dignity," she said.

Canadian reports have suggested that Brunet could be awarded a gold medal if Guerrini is found guilty of doping. But Pound played down that possibility.

"It does strike me as a reach," he said.

Agency Proposes Universal Doping Code By Ryan Brandt June 6, 2002 Athletes found guilty of doping could face a lifetime ban under a new universal doping code proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency this week. The code, with targeted implementation in time for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, would administer two-year bans for all first-time offenders and an ensuing lifetime ban for a second violation.

"They may be able to run, but they're not going to be able to hide," WADA Chairman Richard Pound told reporters. "We're going to catch them, we're going to catch those around them, and we're going to take them out of sport."

Pound said only sports organizations and governments accepting the universal code would be permitted to take part in the Olympics and other international events.

WADA's plan focuses on performance-enhancing substances such as steroids that give athletes an unfair advantage, not other illegal or banned substances like illegal narcotics. The most significant aspect of the code is equal treatment for athletes of all sports.

"This is certainly a step in the right direction," said United States Anti-Doping Agency's Rich Wanninger. "Today, each federation and sport has its own sanctions. This would treat all athletes on a level playing field."

"Under the current system, you can have a swimmer banned for four years for anabolic steroid use while a cyclist would only get a year and a half sanction for using the same substance," WADA's director of standards and harmonization, Rune Andersen, explains. "The cyclist would be able to compete in the next Olympics while the swimmer could not. That doesn't seem fair to anyone."

Born out of the highly publicized doping scandals during the 1998 Tour de France, WADA was designed to bring officials from worldwide governments and sports movements together. Previously, sanctions and legal proceedings clashed on the various levels of sport federations and government involvement.

"The most important aspect of the code is the harmonization across sports and governing bodies—the harmonization of procedures and the harmonization of how athletes are treated legally," Andersen said.

The announcement of the code comes at a time when doping has run rampant throughout sport. Most recently, the cycling world was rocked again by multiple scandals at this year's Giro d'Italia, where the last two champions were ejected for doping violations. On Wednesday, German-native Johann Muehlegg, who skies cross-country for Spain and was already stripped of one of his three Salt Lake gold medals, was banned for two years by the International Ski Federation. American cross-country skier Kelly Milligan and snowboarder Eric Warren also recently received suspensions for doping infringements.

"The last Olympic Games in Salt Lake, they had more doping cases than ever seen before. That highlighted the current problem and almost all nations have had their doping scandals. If we don't get the code in place, there will be more disharmony, ineffective regulations, and wrongful lawsuits," said Andersen. "This is a critical time and it has gone too far. You may never be able to get rid of doping, but you can reduce it to a minimum."