With less than three weeks to the opening ceremony of London 2012, Mr. Faheyhas taken the opportunity to highlight the rights of all clean athletes tocompete on a level playing field and to gain due reward for their hard work andnatural talent.

“I say this in the clearest way possible: if you are a doping athlete andyou are planning to compete in London then you must withdraw from your Olympicteam,” said Mr. Fahey.

“Doping is cheating, plain and simple. And if you compete in London as adoped athlete then not only will you be cheating your fellow athletes, you willbe cheating sports fans across the world, doing a disservice to your nationalflag and flouting the ideals of the Olympic Movement.

“A doping athlete cannot achieve success, it is a complete contradiction.Even if a doping athlete were to win a medal he or she would never be able tolook at themselves in the mirror and say ‘well done, I deserved this’.

“The Olympic Games is the absolute pinnacle for many athletes, and for themto train endlessly over a four-year period and then have their effortsbelittled by a doping athlete, to me that is complete and utter betrayal ofwhat sport stands for.”

Mr. Fahey also applauded the efforts of the world’s anti-doping community intrying to identify doping athletes ahead of the Games, as well as theInternational Olympic Committee and Games organizers LOCOG for preparing acomprehensive anti-doping program.

“These will be the most tested Games in Olympic history and doping athletesmust know that they will be under the severe scrutiny of anti-doping officialsfrom the moment they set foot in the Olympic Village,” added Mr. Fahey.

“The IOC and LOCOG have prepared an extensive anti-doping program that willanalyse up to 6,250 samples while the anti-doping authorities are alreadysharing intelligence to assist with target testing of athletes under suspicion.

“I should also add that UK Anti-Doping is mandated to test athletes intraining camps ahead of the Games and has also compiled much intelligence withthe co-operation of anti-doping organizations worldwide.

“There has been a coherent effort to make London 2012 as ‘clean’ as possibleand doping athletes should know that their chances of avoiding detection arethe smallest they have ever been.”

Despite the work of the world’s anti-doping community, Mr. Fahey stressedthat ultimate responsibility lay with athletes as to how free of doping London2012 will be.

“Athletes are responsible for what they put into their bodies and athletesare responsible for whether or not they choose to dope,” added Mr. Fahey.

“The world’s ant-doping community can only do so much. If every athletedecides not to dope then we will have a completely dope-free Games, that’s thesimple reality.

“It is up to the athletes and I urge them to collectively take moreresponsibility for the sake of clean competition.”

Mr. Fahey will be available for further comment at WADA’s pre-Olympic pressconference in the Olympic Park at 14:00 on July 25.

WADA Contact for the media:

Terence O'Rorke
media@wada-ama.org
+ 1 514 904 8820

WADA