Press

COC calls on IOC to impose meaningful sanctions related to state-sponsored doping

TORONTO (October 19, 2017) – Following a meeting of its Board of Directors last weekend, today the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is again calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to champion immediate and meaningful sanctions on the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), sport officials and athletes pursuant to the findings of the McLaren Report on Russia’s systemic state-sponsored doping.

“We acknowledge and applaud the work that is being done by the IOC with the two commissions led by Samuel Schmid and Denis Oswald to investigate this matter. However, the work is detailed and requires time. If the conclusions from the commissions are not imminent, we ask that provisionary measures be taken, including suspensions, to safeguard the integrity of the Olympic Winter Games, now only 112 days away,” said COC President, Tricia Smith. “The Olympic Movement is based on playing by the rules. The COC, in support of the IOC, is fully committed to clean and ethical sport and firmly believes that no country, sport or person involved in doping or other corrupt practices has a place in the Olympic Movement. These kinds of actions undermine the founding principles of the Olympic Movement. We call on our IOC leadership to take these measures, to ensure the integrity of international sport.”

“As an organization that remains committed to international anti-doping efforts and promoting clean sport, the COC stands with Dick Pound, Richard McLaren, Beckie Scott and all prominent Canadian and global voices in the fight for clean and ethical sport,” added Chris Overholt CEO and Secretary General of the COC. “Sport can only continue to have integrity when everyone plays by the same rules, which cannot take place when certain nations engage in flagrant state-sponsored doping; there can be no outliers to this principle.”

It is the opinion of the COC that the IOC, all National Olympic Committees and International Federations must send a strong message to nations around the world that this is the start of a new, clean, sustainable future for international sport.

Ethical Sport Symposium

In its desire to serve as a catalyst for positive change in clean sport and to further a broader discussion on anti-doping, the COC will host an Ethical Sport Symposium in Calgary on November 24, 2017. Nations from across the Olympic Movement and around the world are invited to join and take part in this important discussion.

“We’re calling on Olympic nations who want to join us in this conversation to take part in the Ethical Sport Symposium in Calgary. We need to look for constructive solutions to these problems,” said Mr. Overholt.

This symposium will feature international leaders in clean sport and anti-doping and will serve as a springboard for developing pathways to action for standing up for clean and ethical sport.

-30-

 MEDIA CONTACTS:

Josh Su, Coordinator, Communications
Tel: 416-324-4303 / Cell: 647-464-4060
Email: jsu@olympic.ca

Photi Sotiropoulos, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Tel: 416-324-4298 / Cell: 416-476-9174
Email: psotiropoulos@olympic.ca

Follow us on Twitter