By David Owen
November 16 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is to receive a much-needed 3% budget increase in 2015. The Montreal-based organisation, which is funded broadly 50% by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and 50% by Governments, has had to make do with little extra money in recent times while public authorities in much of the industrialised world have been struggling to cope with the consequences of high debt and sluggish economic growth. The 1% raise WADA received for 2014 was its first budget increase for three years.
Not surprisingly, it has run up deficits totalling more than $2 million between 2010 and 2013 and was forced this year to take the unusual step of asking Executive Committee and Foundation Board members to meet their own costs in attending WADA meetings.
News of the increase, which will coincide with the entry into effect of a revised World Anti-Doping Code, came at a Foundation Board meeting in Paris. Sir Craig Reedie, WADA President, said the agency was “very appreciative” of the hike, “particularly given the economic difficulties experienced in many parts of the world”.
The meeting also approved the formation of a new body – an “independent, non-political” Compliance Review Committee to provide the Foundation Board with advice, guidance and recommendations on compliance matters.
WADA said that this process would enable the “implementation of practical and effective anti-doping programmes to be discussed in a coordinated fashion with every code signatory”.
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