The changing attitude of the IOC and the IPC towards WADA and the governance of anti-doping

The chapter examines the changing attitude of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) towards the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the governance of anti-doping. Initially, the IOC was responsible for coordinating anti-doping efforts. However, in 1999, WADA was established as an independent agency responsible for bringing global consistency to regulations and anti-doping policies. Since WADA’s establishment, WADA and the IOC have exhibited a tense relationship. Although the IOC is a primary stakeholder in the anti-doping regime, it has sometimes been highly critical of WADA and equivocal in its support for WADA activities. Unlike the IOC, the IPC is relatively new to the issue of doping and, in recent years, has adopted a different response to the IOC. For example, the IPC banned Russia from the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics. The chapter argues there is an unresolved tension between the IOC and WADA as a key factor that is arguably undermining the effectiveness of anti-doping efforts. Consequently, a key governing challenge for WADA is to achieve stronger global buy-in than is reflected in WADA’s governing structures.