On December 17, 2020, India pledged to contribute USD 1 Million (Approximately INR 7.35 Crores) to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Scientific Research Budget. The amount will be India’s contribution to WADA’s initiative of raising a corpus of USD 10 Million.This will contribute greatly towards WADA’s mission for doping-free sport.
i.India’s contribution is the highest ever contribution made to WADA by a third world country which includes Saudi Arabia, China and Egypt.
ii.The contribution will be used for the development of innovative anti-doping testing and detection methods.
Key Points:
i.The USD 1 Million contribution is more than the annual contribution made by India to WADA’s core budget.
ii.The contribution will also be used to strengthen WADA’s independent investigations and intelligence department.
iii.During WADA’s 5th World Conference on Doping in Sport held at Katowice, Polan in 2019, it was decided to create a corpus of $10 Million to support clean sports.
iv.To build the corpus of USD 10 Million, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will contribute a sum equivalent to the contributions of all member nations.
Russia’s Ban:
i.The Court of Arbitration for Sport, Switzerland has banned Russia from
- Using its name, flag and anthem at the next 2 olympics or any world championships in the next 2 years.
- Hosting of any major sporting events for 2 years.
ii.However teams and athletes from Russia are allowed to compete at 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Winter Games in Beijing & World Champions which includes 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar if they are implicated in doping or covering up positive tests.
iii.Russia’s ban is due to an accusation that Russian State Authorities tampered with databases (Test samples of athletes) from Moscow testing laboratory before handing it to WADA’s authorities.
Recent Related News:
i.On May 2, 2020, Indian Discus thrower Sandeep Kumari was handed a 4-year ban by the WADA after failing a drug test.
About World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA):
President – Witold Banka
Headquarters – Montreal, Canada
