Wada Chief Unhappy With Golf Doping Policy

A new doping policy introduced by golf’s PGA Tour has been criticised by the
World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound.

Golf’s new policy of banned substances and a method for each organisation to
test for them will come into effect in 2008.

However the sport’s governors have stopped short of adopting WADA’s list of
banned substances – a stance that has been criticised by Pound.

Defending the policy, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said: ‘We have stated
the reasons why we did not include two categories of substances that are on the
WADA list. We met WADA officials and they seemed comfortable with our direction.

‘The two main reasons are they are substances which are very common in the
marketplace and that as a consequence create significant administrative burdens
with granting therapeutic use permits or exemptions.

‘They are also questionable in terms of their impact from a
performance-enhancing standpoint. WADA are not objecting in any significant way
to the exclusion of those two areas of substances.’

WADA chief Dick Pound will be speaking at the FT Sport Industry
Summit on 1st November.