Sochi 2014 Advocates Highest Anti-doping Standards

Lisbon, Portugal, April 12, 2007 – Sochi 2014 reaffirms its commitment to the war against doping with Bid Supervisory Board member and Chairman of the Federal Agency for Physical Training and Sports Vyacheslav Fetisov leading the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, tomorrow.

The WADA Athlete Committee aims to allow WADA closer contact with athletes and to give the Agency better insight into their questions and concerns regarding doping. The two-day meeting will involve the discussion of sanctions and provide a forum through which to gain athletes’ feedback on WADA regulation.

Russia has long taken the forefront in the fight against doping, becoming the 30th country to ratify the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport in December 2006. Since March 2003, Russia and the Russian Olympic Committee have been members of the WADA Anti-Doping Code. Russia is in compliance with WADA regulations and the country’s National Anti-Doping Code has been drawn up in agreement with the requirements of the WADA Anti-Doping Code. This national commitment is echoed by Sochi 2014 whose innovative Games plan will involve a doping control laboratory to be established at the new hospital in the Krasnodar region as a top priority.

Vyacheslav Fetisov commented on Russia’s commitment to doping control:

”Russia has always been a reliable partner of the International Olympic Committee on drug control policy. As a Sochi 2014 Bid member and the Chairman of the WADA Athlete Committee, I can fully guarantee that the Games in Sochi would follow the strictest regulations to prevent doping. In addition to an outstanding sporting legacy for our next generation of athletes, Sochi 2014 will provide Russia with a new benchmark in the fight against doping.”

Being one of the most decorated world hockey legends - winning two gold and one silver medals at the Olympic Winter Games; seven gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the World Championships; and two Stanley Cups, Vyacheslav Fetisov has served on the WADA Founding Council since 2004 and as the Chairman of WADA Athlete Committee since 2005.

Elected in February 2007 as the first Chairperson of UNESCO’s International Convention against Doping in Sport, Fetisov’s passion and leadership extends beyond the proposed Sochi 2014 Games Plan. His personal commitment to the issue as a former athlete ensures that the Games in Sochi would fulfill the IOC and International Federations’ expectations and requirements.