The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s Independent Commission (IC) will release its report regarding its ongoing investigations of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) All Russian Athletics Federation officials and allegations of doping cover-ups, corruption and money-laundering at a media conference on Monday, November 9 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The investigation by the IC is a result of information broadcast on German television in December 2014 and a follow up in August 2015. Some of the investigative information has been passed onto French authorities by the IC.
Renowned international sports lawyer and Western University Faculty of Law professor Richard McLaren is one of three WADA independent commissioners and co-author of the report and will participate in the media conference Monday with IC Chair Dick Pound and fellow Commissioner Gunter Younger.
This report is going to be a real game-changer for sport,” says McLaren. “Unlike FIFA where you have a bunch of old men who put a whole lot of extra money in their pockets, here you potentially have a bunch of old men who put a whole lot of extra money in their pockets – through extortion and bribes – but also caused significant changes to actual results and final standings of international athletics competitions. This is a whole different scale of corruption than the FIFA scandal or the IOC scandal in respect to Salt Lake City.”
McLaren has extensive experience as a commercial lawyer, a labour and commercial arbitrator and a mediator. A long standing member of International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the world Supreme Court of sports disputes, McLaren also participated with Senator George J. Mitchell in the Major League Baseball inquiry into the use of steroids, which culminated in the 409-page “Mitchell Report” on December 13, 2007 and led the investigation for the United States Olympic Committee into alleged cover-ups by USA Track & Field following the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
In December 2014, he was appointed by WADA to investigate allegations of widespread, systematic doping and cover-ups in Russia broadcast in the German documentary.
For more on Richard McLaren, please visit https://law.uwo.ca/about_us/our_people/faculty/richard_mclaren.html
McLaren is available for comment in advance of the release report on Friday, November 6 in Toronto before and after he speaks at the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network Conference from 12 to 2 p.m. at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.
Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Renaud, Senior Media Relations Officer, 519-661-2111, ext. 85165, jrenaud9@uwo.ca, @jeffrenaud99
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