LADI plans to meet with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), for which it says it needs to map out the detailed problems that made Indonesia liable to sanctioning.
By
I GUSTI AGUNG BAGUS ANGGA PUTRA
·4 minutes read
AFP/RITZAU SCANPIX/CLAUS FISKER
Players from Indonesia celebrates after winning the Thomas Cup men's team tournament in Aarhus, Denmark, on October 17, 2021.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS—The Indonesian Anti-Doping Agency (LADI) is looking to lobby the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to lift the sanctions against the country.
LADI plans to meet with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), for which it says it needs to map out the detailed problems that made Indonesia liable to sanctioning.
The meeting with WADA is intended to identify the problems more clearly and discuss the steps required for the immediate lifting of sanctions.
As a result of the WADA sanctions, the Indonesian flag was barred from being hoisted at international sports events, such as when the Indonesian men's badminton team won the Thomas Cup on Sunday (17/10/2021) in Denmark.
During the championship award ceremony, the national anthem was played but the "Red and White" was not in sight, which was instead replaced with the flag of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
WADA imposed sanctions on Indonesia because it had declared LADI “noncompliant” with its rules for an effective anti-doping program.
"That [meeting with WADA] will be held soon. However, we are still waiting for confirmation [from WADA]. We will also have consolidate internally in order that, when we are there, we are prepared in line with the topics of discussion,” LADI deputy chairman Rheza Maulana said on Tuesday (19/10).
FILE/REUTERS/CHRISTINNE MUSCHI
A woman walks into the head office for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal, November 9, 2015. An international anti-doping commission recommended on Monday that Russia's Athletics Federation be banned from international competition over widespread doping offences - a move that could see the powerhouse Russian team excluded from next year's Rio Olympics. Russian sports minister said there was no evidence for the accusations against the Federation.
The Indonesian Association of Sports Professors (Apkori) urged LADI to move quickly to meet WADA at its headquarters in Montreal, Canada, without waiting to complete the problem inventory.
"Delaying the meeting means prolonging the sanctions. We have to move fast at this time," said Apkori chairman Djoko Pekik Irianto.
The internal consolidation and problem inventory Rheza mentioned involves the working team that was established under the direct administration of Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali and tasked with accelerating settlement of the WADA sanction.
The team, led by Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) chairman Raja Sapta “Okto” Oktohari, must look into the problems related to the sought-for settlement.
Okto expressed the hope that mapping LADI’s problems would gather the required data within a month. In addition, the working team had begun taking an external approach by lobbying the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to help facilitate the LADI-WADA meeting.
"WADA's sanction against LADI is [applicable] for one year. We will try to free LADI from the sanction by all means as soon as possible. However, it should be noted that this sanction was given by WADA to LADI. So LADI must also make an effort to patch up its shortcomings," he said.
Kompas
A draft of the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) code to be discussed, is seen before a meeting of the Executive Committee and Foundation Board May 12, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. WADA was established in 1999 as an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti Doping Code (Code) the document harmonizing anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries. WADA is a Swiss private law Foundation. Its seat is in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its headquarters are in Montreal, Canada. WADA works towards a vision of a world where all athletes compete in a doping-free sporting environment.
Okto said that an investigation into the problems would be conducted to determine the causes of the WADA sanction and who should be held accountable.
In addition to being prohibited from flying the national flag at all international events, excepting the Olympics, Indonesia also may not host regional, continental and international events for as long as the sanctions are in effect.
In addition to forming a team to accelerate settlement, Zainudin pointed out that LADI needed to improve governance. “Regarding the settlement deadline, we hope it will be done as soon as possible. What WADA is asking for must be fulfilled immediately,” he said.
Stalled settlement
Rheza said LADI had been communicating with WADA by post and phone calls since the sanctions were imposed.
He said it was later discovered that the WADA sanction was related to not only noncompliance with the test doping plan (TDP) rules, but also to pending problems pertaining to administration and payment that had been unresolved since 2017.
We will dig up all existing internal data and discover why this problem accumulated and remained unresolved, and then find the solution.
“Within three months of the new management, it turned out that we were being confronted with problems that had been there for five years and were left to us to resolve. That is what the team was formed for. We will dig up all existing internal data and discover why this problem accumulated and remained unresolved, and then find the solution,” said Rheza.
Contacted separately, Zaini Saragih, the LADI chairman for the 2017-2020 period, said that pending matters were common in transfer of management at any organization.
If the WADA sanction referred to pending matters during his tenure, he said, the sanction would have been applied back then.
“When in office, I also received pending matters from the previous management. However, I finished them so there were no sanctions," Zaini said. (IGA)
