WADA praises governments for anti-doping stance - SI.com

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WADA praises governments for anti-doping stance
SI.com - 13 minutes ago
... down on doping was a serious matter of public health for governments, citing one British study showing boys as young as 12 using anabolic steroids. ...

WADA's David Howman said Wednesday that 102 countries have ratified the UNESCO Convention on Doping in Sport since it came into force nearly two years ago. It means anti-doping measures become part of national law in the countries that have ratified the agreement.

"This is setting the standards very high. To the world governments that have shown much strength in fighting the scourge of doping, thank you from WADA,'' Howman said Wednesday. "We've reached 100, in fact we're starting to get over 100.''

Ratifying the convention helps a member nation prevent cross-border trafficking of sporting drugs, support a national drug-testing program and withhold funding from athletes caught cheating.

But WADA does not have the legal authority to force an increase in the amount of testing, and relies on governments to pressure their national anti-doping agencies to do so.

The United States became the 94th country to ratify the agreement on Aug. 25.

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