By a vote of 17-15, Montreal became the permanent headquarters of the International Olympic Committee’s drug agency, winning over Lausanne and Vienna.
Denis Coderre, Canada’s secretary of state for amateur sport, said, “this victory is extremely important because it was a choice between the old regime and a new one. We can now say with confidence that this victory represents the start of a very big chapter”.
Christine Ayotte, director of an IOC-approved doping control laboratory in Montreal, said she hadn’t always been optimistic about the country’s chances. But she said she was happy to eat her worlds.
Paul Melia, the chief operating officer of the Canadian Centre (CCFES) for Ethics in Sport in Ottawa, said that having the new centre in close proximity will allow the CCFES to continue to build on its close working relationship with the agency. “Obviously this is great news for Montreal and great news for Canada. It is good to have the permanent location of the centre settled. It allows us to focus on the important use of doping in sports”.
The Canada Olympic Association’s president David Chambers said in a statement, “this is excellent news. Canada is known as a leader in the fight against doping in sport. We have always treated our athletes in a fair and equitable manner, but at the same time we have never hesitated to impose sanctions where necessary”.
Montreal will also get an influx of cash in the form of federal and provincial tax breaks for the agency’s headquarters. Coderre said the incentives total about $18 million over 10 years.
Coderre defended the expense as an investment in the country’s sports system as a whole, as well as the local economy and research and development. He said government cooperation was likely the main factor that nudged Montreal past Lausanne in the voting.
The Montreal headquarters will likely employ about 50 people.
Coderre has promised to set up satellite offices in Europe, Asia, Africa and the South Pacific; a move designed to make the anti-doping agency more inclusive.
Meanwhile, WADA has put forward a proposal for athletes to carry medical passports with $1.83 million in aid from the EU. WADA president Dick Pound said that the passport could become a very effective tool for the athletes. The passports would record athletes’ medical data such as blood level, information on training, injuries and results of all dope tests. Pound said, “these data might become extremely valuable for the athletes”.
Pound said he hopes a uniform anti-doping code will be adopted by the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.
Unlike the present IOC anti-doping code, governments would also adopt the new code in order to facilitate national and international harmonization.
