This is the e-mail I sent to a number of concerned folks. I am sure there will be more to come. I have asked via a cc of the e-mail listed below that AMA become the point for this issue since they undoubtedly have World Champs teams that will be involved soon. We in CL have a bit of breathing room since our first involvement (at least U.S. people) will be in 2014.
Since I wrote that letter I have done a bit more investigation and I have included links below where pertinent documents can be found.
Bill
I have had some communication with Jo Halman, Technical Secretary of the CIAM Bureau, regarding this issue. I will quote (most) of her response below. First, though, a few words about what's happened in past years.
As you know, I have been involved in Team Management for the F2 Team since 1980. In that time frame, I have either been a team member (F2C and F2d), team manager, assistant team manager, or just a supporter. I have been at every F2 World Champs since 1980 except 1982 and 2008. I was the F2 World Champs organizer in 2004 here in the United States. After the 2002 World Champs in Germany, I was out of active team management until 2010 when I managed the team in Hungary, and again in 2012 in Bulgaria.
When I returned to managing the team in 2010, I first encountered the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) involvement of the FAI (and, hence, the CIAM). It may have been there earlier but since I was not involved from 2002-2010, I don't know. I do NOT recall this being an issue in 2004 when I organized the WCHs in Muncie. I looked into this extensively and developed a document (see below) that if needed I intended to send to the team. But I first bounced this off of Dave Brown and Greg Hahn, and Dave brown's response was
Yes, to be 100% certain that one will not be disqualified for WADA infractions, one must go through all of these hoops, but based upon the fact that there has NEVER been a drug test at ANY FAI aeromodeling event, and such testing would only happen if the government of the host country insists on it, AND provides such testing by IT'S "experts", I would say the chances of drug testing happening at any particular WC's is somewhat akin to there being a statistical tie for the first 3 places in all of the eventsin that WC's!!!
Consequently, I chose to not bother the team with this stuff.
However, I, personally, did go through getting a "Therapeutic Use Exemption" (TUE), which everyone will need just to ward off any concerns over drugs that they ARE taking. The process for this was clumsy, involving my personal Dr, him filling out a bunch of paperwork, getting the papers back, and then getting this all off to the FAI in time for them to process it, etc. Given Dave Brown's guidance, I eventually just blew the whole thin off and never submitted the paperwork to the FAI.
Well, now, the FAI is getting serious about conforming with the WADA requirements, and there HAS been drug testing as we saw mentioned in the Bureau minutes. Hence, the CIAM (i.e., the Bureau) has responded as you saw in the minutes from their December meeting. When questioned about this, Jo responded as follows:
ME: Jo, what's going on? I have several folks who are quite unhappy and concerned that their very future might lie in the hands of organizers of World Championships over this drug testing stuff. And given the track-record of at least the last couple of WCHs where the contest organization has been pretty minimal, my folks are very reluctant to trust their livelihood, their pensions, their professional careers, to the organizers.
Jo: Any drug testing at a Champs is done by that country's National Anti-Doping Agency. It has nothing to do with the organisers or even the FAI Jury. The NADA makes all the arrangements and pays the costs related to the testing. At the 2012 F3F champs, the NADA used a local hotel for testing. The fliers were under escort from the moment they finished flying until the testing was finished.
I don't think any of your fliers should worry about this but, of course, that's only my opinion.
Questions that this raises for me: How trust-worthy is the NADA that would be involved?. I don't even know who in the U.S. that I would contact to do this. Are the smaller, near-third-world countries capable of doing this without failure?
For the future: it is quite apparent to me that any and all teams sent by and sponsored by AMA need to have this issue firmly in hand, and it also seems to me that AMA MUST take the lead for the teams! Obviously this only pertains to Continental Championships (where we are NOT involved) and World Championships. So we do have a bit of breathing room right now. But undoubtedly there are other U.S. teams that will be caught up in this very soon, this year. I do not know what AMA is doing, I haven't asked although I will (Greg and Bob Brown are cc'ed this e-mail).
I hope this helps a bit. I have attached documents that I was prepared to send out in 2010 but which were never sent. I am not sure their contents are completely accurate at his time, but they should be close. First is an e-mail I sent to Dave Brown and Greg Hahn, and then attached are three other,
potentially out-of-date(see links below), documents that came off the FAI website in 2010.
Regards,
Bill
Links:
FAI Page for WADA information newsletters. I suggest you read the series of documents on this page for some background on the FAI effort to comply with the WADA dictate.
Anti-Doping and ME. A feel-good document
FAI page for all the WADA Rules. This page contains all of the documents you should read.
Edit to add: I realize I failed to include the document I prepared in 2010 but which was never used. The documents referenced in it are from the web pages listed just above. Here it is:
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Hello, all;
I have mentioned that the 2010 F2 World Championships organizers have indicated they will be complying with the FAI requirements that all of the competitors and Team Managers adhere to the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) standards. This whole requirement is aimed primarily at athletes and is intended to eliminate drug-enhanced performance. And it all seems a bit silly for model airplane competitors. But it IS the FAI rule and we must conform. All team members must read and follow the contents of this note as well as any alternate team members who MAY become part of the team.
The WADA has a long list of banned drugs. Some of them are routinely taken by model airplane competitors since we tend to be older and use drugs by our Doctor's orders. The WADA allows for this situation and has procedures for obtaining a "Therapeutic Use Exemption" (TUE).
In order to comply with these rules, there are some things that you MUST DO, and do SOON!
Attached are some PDF documents.
The first is a document from the FAI that emphasizes their position on the WADA requirements. You should look this document over for your information.
The second is the WADA document that is the 2010 Prohibited List. This document contains all of the currently prohibited drugs as well as prohibited procedures. You will need a PRINTED copy of this document.
The third document is the FAI's Therapeutic Use Exemption form. You will also need a printed copy of this document.
Now, here's what you have to do.
1) Make an appointment with your primary care physician, the Doctor who you see regularly and who knows of and prescribes the medications you are taking.
2) Take the printed documents mentioned above to him and have him fill out the TUE form. Make sure that he signs the form.
3) On the TUE form you will see instruction to send this form to the FAI. DO NOT SEND IT TO THE AMA NOR TO TEAM MANAGEMENT! The TUE is a strictly confidential form that is NOT intended for anyone other than yo and your Doctor, and for the appropriate commission at the FAI headquarters.
Please do this NOW! The TUE must be in the FAI's hands at least 21 days before you compete.
Regards,
Bill Lee
Team Manager
Topic: FAI, CIAM, WADA and Drug Testing (Read 11300 times)