THE Philippines stands the risk of the flag not being flown at the Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games and in all regional and continental—Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games—and the world championships unless the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) complies with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code.
Compounding the potential woes will also be a ban on country from hosting regional, continental and world championships.
The WADA made the warning in a notification to the PSC dated January 23 that stressed its non-compliance of the WADA Code and prompted the government sports body to address outstanding non-conformities identified in the WADA Code Compliance Questionnaire.
The PSC was notified through the Philippine National Anti-Doping Agency (Phinado) in September last year to comply with the WADA Code but has barely responded since.
The WADA gave the PSC four months to comply with the deadline already expiring last Monday.
“Should the outstanding non-conformities not be solved by 22 January 2024, the Philippines Sports Commission would be automatically alleged as non-compliant by WADA’s Executive Committee,” said the notice, which was signed by WADA Director General Olivier Niggli
The WADA said the PSC has to comply with the code on developing and implementing effective, intelligent and proportionate Test Distribution Plan and include all Registered Testing Pool athletes from sports or disciplines, among others.
The WADA pinpointed a case of an athlete who yielded a positive anti-doping result in 2016 but wasn’t notified by the PSC or its anti-doping arm.
The Montreal-based agency gave the PSC until February 13 to dispute “WADA’s allegation of non-compliance and/or the consequences of non-compliance and/or the reinstatement conditions proposed by WADA.”
“If the PSC does not dispute any of these elements in writing to WADA, within 21 days from the date of this Formal Notice, the allegation of non- compliance will be deemed admitted, the consequences of non-compliance and the reinstatement conditions proposed by WADA will be deemed accepted, and this Formal Notice will automatically become a final decision with immediate effect,” the notice said.
The PSC has released a statement, stating that it is is aware of recent speculations regarding the possibility of the Philippines facing sanctions in prestigious sporting events such as the Olympics, Asian Games, and SEA Games due to alleged non-compliance with the WADA Code.
“We understand the concerns raised, and we would like to address these matters with utmost transparency and accountability,” wrote the PSC in a statement.
“We acknowledge the importance of adhering to the WADA Code and upholding the principles of fair play and integrity in sports. In response to the aforementioned allegations, we would like to clarify that the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization (PHI-NADO), under the auspices of the PSC, has taken prompt and decisive actions to rectify any potential matters related to non-compliance with the WADA Code.”
A series of activities in relation to the compliance was conducted by PHI-NADO from September to December of last year, prior to the extended deadline set by WADA last January 22nd.
After receiving evaluations from WADA, certain revisions relating to critical requirements of the Code, are now being worked upon. PHI-NADO has reported that we are nearing closure for these requirements within a 21-day period.
A meeting was convened last January 25th by WADA represented by Ms. Ying Cui, Manager for RADO/NADO Relations and Mr. Perumal Saravana, Manager of Asia Oceania Office, and SEARADO Director General Gobinathan Nair, bringing together senior officers from the PSC led by Chairman Richard Bachmann, Executive Director Paulo Francisco Tatad, PHI-NADO Head Dr. Alejandro Pineda Jr. and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Secretary General Atty. Wharton Chan.
The primary objective of this meeting was to foster open communication, address the pending concerns and revisions raised by WADA, and collaboratively undertake measures to ensure complete compliance at the earliest possible time.
“Furthermore, we wish to reassure the public that these possible sanctions are avoidable. We are fully engaged in a constructive dialogue with WADA, working collectively to address any remaining concerns and to ensure that our national athletes can continue to compete on the global stage with honor and integrity.”
We appreciate the understanding of the public and the global sports community as we navigate through this process.
The PSC remains resolute in its commitment to upholding the highest standards of sportsmanship and ethical conduct to our national athletes and coaches.
