In the wake of a series of high-profile doping scandals, the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), an independent testing agency created by the UCI in 2008, has disputed the UCI's decision to seek cooperation with the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The UCI announced earlier this month that its Governing Board had decided to "explore the possibility of cooperating with the International Testing Agency (ITA) on anti-doping" but would "ensure that the CADF's expertise is maintained regardless of the outcome of the discussions."

The press release specifically mentions Operation Aderlass, an Austrian investigation that uncovered a blood doping ring allegedly run by former Milram doctor Mark Schmidt. five Nordic skiers, Georg Preidler ( Groupama-FDJ), Stefan Denifl (signed with the CCC team but terminated before the start of the 2019 season), Kristijan Koren and Borut Bozic of Bahrain Merida, and former pro Alessandro Petacchi were sanctioned following the investigation.

The UCI press release states that "the UCI is obliged to consider all available measures to ensure and enhance the protection of clean cyclists" and that "recent developments, such as the Adelrath investigation, demonstrate once again that doping has no boundaries, either between sports or between countries ."

In the same announcement, the UCI said that the departure of CADF Director Francesca Rossi was irrelevant to the discussion on the use of the ITA. [On Friday, the CADF Board of Directors issued an open letter condemning the UCI's decision, stating that "since its creation in 2008 and its independence in 2013, the CADF has been recognized as the most comprehensive, innovative, efficient and reliable anti-doping organization in the world. program and conducts more tests than any other Olympic sports organization," he added.

CADF was surprised that the proposed ITA collaboration was done without input from cycling stakeholders, who have funded CADF activities for the past 10 years, and is concerned that by working with an organization that deals with many sports, the percentage of anti-doping funding and resources cycling He stated that he was concerned that it would result in less

"Because the work of the CADF is done on behalf of the cycling community and funded by the community, it maintains an ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders, teams, and organizers to ensure that resources are being used appropriately for the sport of cycling will be ensured. Different governance models for anti-doping do not necessarily provide the same assurance with respect to the management and allocation of funds for cycling," they write.

The CADF is funded primarily by the top men's road teams. According to its 2018 financial statements, it has collected over 15,000 doping controls, the majority in men's professional road cycling; in 2018, teams paid over CHF 5.5 million to the CADF, the UCI contributed CHF 1,262,000, and the remaining funds come from race organizers.

The ITA was established by the IOC and received a donation of CHF 4.78 million from the Olympic Movement in 2018 and took in CHF 1.3 million in accounts receivable; it just started activities in June 2018, testing in and out of competition and using intelligence to fight doping, similar objectives as the CADF, such as collecting samples for the Biological Passport and tracking the whereabouts of athletes using ADAMS.

On Monday, Richard Plug, manager of Jumbo Visma, voiced his support for the CADF on Twitter, writing, "Very concerned about this idea by @UCI_cycling (without consultation of key stakeholders). Cycling has been a leader in the sport for years now on this topic. We should be very cautious about any changes. "

The UCI said that the CADF will oversee cycling anti-doping activities through the 2020 season, but that the results of discussions with the ITA will be presented at the 2020 UCI Cyclocross World Championships Steering Committee meeting in February 2020 in Dubendorf, Switzerland.

Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation Board of Directors

To the global cycling community

Oslo, October 25, 2019

The future of the fight against doping in cycling

Dear cyclists, friends, colleagues,

As many of you are aware, the past few days have seen an unprecedented challenge to the future work of the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) in the global fight against doping in the sport of cycling.

Over the past decade, cycling has worked hard to improve its reputation and distance itself from some of the scandals that have tarnished the sport in the past. This is the result of hard work by the CADF, which since its creation in 2008 and its independence in 2013 has been recognized as the most comprehensive, innovative, efficient, and reliable anti-doping organization in the world. [This is because the CADF manages one of the most comprehensive anti-doping programs in the world and conducts more tests than any other Olympic sport organization; the CADF has the capacity to act effectively on information received, manage cases according to a clear process, and manage whistleblower systems.

The CADF has built an information and investigations department with the capacity to act effectively on information received, manage cases according to a clear process, and manage the whistleblowing system.

It took a great deal of time, investment, and expertise for the CADF to operate with the highest level of integrity and to gain worldwide credibility. all stakeholders, as the CADF's activities are conducted on behalf of and funded by the cycling community, Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with teams and organizers will ensure that resources are being used appropriately for the benefit of the sport of cycling. Different anti-doping governance models cannot necessarily provide the same assurance with respect to the management and allocation of funds for cycling.

Such a change would reverse the trend applied by other sports federations, such as the International Tennis Federation, the World Association of Athletics Federations, and the International Biathlon Union. They follow the already established CADF model for this purpose.

As a result of the news released by the UCI over the past few days, one might wonder why the UCI would need to conduct an analysis to investigate future cooperation with the International Testing Agency (ITA). Of course, one cannot underestimate the constantly evolving conditions that exist in the sport, but it is nonetheless surprising that such a decision would be initiated without a comprehensive consultation period with the cycling community. In any case, it must be the cycling community that makes the decision, and it must be based on facts and reason, not haste.

Taking nothing away from the work of the ITA, which has already benefited several sporting organizations and major event organizers (MEOs), the CADF is undoubtedly, with the dedication, expertise, and integrity that have been the foundation of its work since its inception, in anti-doping in cycling The CADF is led by a team of competent experts in their fields who have a thorough knowledge of the sport across all disciplines and who, as the UCI itself recognizes, produce outstanding results.

We invest heavily in all of our programs, from intelligence and research to the Athlete Biological Passport, and have dedicated staff and innovative tools at our disposal in each area. CADF is committed to ensuring that the best for sport is It has always engaged with stakeholders in order to deliver. The team has developed good relationships with all cycling stakeholders and has established genuine trust with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), national anti-doping agencies, and relevant national law enforcement authorities, as well as the cycling community as a whole.

The CADF has worked tirelessly to build a solid foundation and instill confidence in its activities among the cycling community for the protection of the sport. the UCI's position has been publicized with a timeline identified for its evaluation. in February 2020, the Cycling Anti In February 2020, a decision could be made on the future of the Cycling Anti-Doping Program.

However, now that changes are possible, it is up to the cycling community to assess whether the risk of change is in the best interest of the sport. We want the community to have a voice in the future of anti-doping in its sport and invite anyone interested to contact us at any time by email at [email protected], CADF Board Secretary. We are ready to listen to your concerns and suggestions as we continue our efforts in the interest of cycling.

Thank you,

Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation Board