The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Speed blames it on lack of drug-testing culture in India

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Wednesday, Nov 01, 2006
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Speed blames it on lack of drug-testing culture in India

Mohali: The ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, has blamed the ICC's shortcomings with regard to implementing the WADA Code during the Champions Trophy on the lack of drug-testing culture in India.

``The current ICC Champions Trophy is our first tournament since we became signatories to the WADA Code and it has presented us with some challenging issues,'' Speed said in a statement on Tuesday. ``These issues are logistical ones and are understandable given no infrastructure or culture of drug-testing exists currently in India, and when these issues have been raised with us we have worked hard to ensure they have been dealt with,'' he said.

Unprofessional attitude

Speed was responding to a top WADA official's criticism on Monday that the ICC had an unprofessional attitude towards fighting the drug menace in the sport.

``We've been on many doping control testing missions with lots of federations. We've been dealing with them professionally and they've been dealing back very professionally as well. But unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about ICC,'' WADA official Yousef Hasan had said.

Hasan reportedly mentioned that the two WADA officials who were to collect samples from players for random testing at each match were not provided with enough privacy at the venue.

The WADA officials were forced to share their rooms with others, which compromised the "dignity'' of the drug samples, Hasan said.Speed said, "I will meet with WADA officials today and also speak to WADA Director General, David Howman, to see if they have any additional concerns we may not be aware of. — PTI

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