The Higher Sports Council (CSD) requested this Friday the resignation of José Luis Terreros, director of the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sports (CELAD), “following a complaint for alleged irregularities in the use of public funds” and also for alleged malpractice in anti-doping controls, including possible concealment of positive cases in Spanish athletes.
Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribespresident of the CSD, made such a request “given the nature of the events and the reputational damage to which Spanish sport is exposed” and its consequences on the “control system” in CELAD, according to a press release issued by the Council itself.
Transparency request
The same note recalled that the CSD already transferred on January 2 to the State Attorney General’s Office the result of an investigation carried out within the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports for those alleged irregularities with public funds and for “the control and sanction of doping” carried out by CELAD.
“This decision, adopted with the utmost respect for the presumption of innocence, has the approval of the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports and the State Attorney’s Office and responds to the commitment to provide the fight against doping of the highest standards of transparency, effectiveness, efficiency and security“added the press text.
The integrity of the competitions
Thus, the CSD pointed out that “it must be the Prosecutor’s Office that assesses whether there are rational indications of the commission of a crime.” “At the same time, we cannot consent to the slightest suspicion or doubt in relation to the fight against doping and with the system that must guarantee fair play, the integrity of competitions and preserve the health of athletes,” he added to the press release.
If the requested resignation does not occur, the minister Pilar Alegría and the president of the CSD “will propose within the framework of the next Governing Council of CELAD the dismissal of Mr. Terreros,” according to the note. “In addition, they will propose a review of the internal functioning of CELAD in the interest of maximum control and maximum transparency,” the text continued.
Collaboration with the World Agency
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Finally, Rodríguez Uribes reiterated “Spain’s commitment to having all athletes compete in equal footing and with the purity of sport prevailing, which involves guaranteeing strict compliance with the World Code and anti-doping regulations, so that the strictest control measures are always implemented and a sporting culture that values ethics and integrity of all competitions”.
“To that end, Spain underlines its total predisposition to loyally collaborate with the World Anti-Doping Agency“, concluded the CSD in its note. This came in the wake of Witold Banka, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), “strongly rejecting the suggestion that he would ever turn a blind eye” to any case of doping.
2024-01-05 19:34:33
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