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The World Athletics Council has approved a recommendation from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board concerning the measures and corrective actions to be imposed on the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) following historical breaches of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (ADR).
In December 2023, the AIU Board issued a notice of charge against the BAA, following a thorough 18-month AIU investigation into the BAA’s compliance with ADR 15, which imposes anti-doping obligations on Member Federations of World Athletics which are separate to the obligations of the World Anti-Doping Code.
The impetus for the investigation was the serious anti-doping rule violations committed by two BRN athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games for homologous blood transfusions and the discovery that the BAA had engaged a coach to work with the national team between 2019 and 2021 who was in fact banned from sport for anti-doping rule violations.
The BAA was charged with:
- Conducting itself in relation to doping, negligently and/or recklessly and/or so as to prejudice the interests of World Athletics or bring the sport of athletics into disrepute (in breach of ADR 15.4.1).
- Failing to take reasonable measures when engaging athlete support personnel to ensure they are of good character and repute and that the risk of doping in relation to their engagement is minimised (in breach of ADR 15.4.6).
The BAA has cooperated with the AIU throughout the process, has admitted the charges, and has agreed the following consequences:
- The BAA’s participation in both the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will be limited to a maximum of 10 athletes.
- The BAA will not participate in any other World Athletics Series events for 12 months from 1 June 2024.
- The BAA will not apply for any transfers of allegiance or recruit any foreign athletes until 2027.
- The BAA will spend up to $7.3 million over four years on the following measures to address the doping and integrity risk in athletics in Bahrain:
- implementing a detailed strategic plan and operational roadmap (SPOR) as agreed with the AIU to transform the federation and properly manage integrity matters.
- The BAA will guarantee that an independent and WADA-compliant Bahrain national anti-doping organisation will be established in Bahrain and be fully funded by the Bahrain government until at least the end of 2026 (a step which the BAA has taken, the NADO now fully operational for one year).
- The BAA will establish and fund a talent academy to prioritise the development of local talent.
- The BAA will pay the AIU’s costs of investigation and supervising the delivery of the SPOR.
The financial commitment to transform the federation, sport development and integrity in Bahrain is welcomed and strategically targeted at addressing the identified deficiencies in the Bahrain system, namely:
- Creating a NADO where there was none before – which is a welcome outcome with a huge benefit in managing the doping risks for BRN athletes going forward.
- Creating a talent academy which clearly signals a major change in emphasis from the BRN to identify and develop home-grown talent and not exclusively rely on recruiting foreign athletes.
- Transforming the BAA itself in accordance with the very strict requirements of the strategic plan and operational roadmap (SPOR) will ensure it has the appropriate governance and processes to manage integrity risk going forward. This will serve as an excellent model for other federations, particularly those in the region.
- The hiatus imposed from new transfers of allegiance and recruitment of foreign athletes is appropriate and will ensure that the system within BRN has been transformed by the time that recruitment resumes again.
Chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit, David Howman, said: “The BAA, to its great credit, has displayed genuine contrition about its past wrongdoings and commitment to change. In fact, much of the work to reform the federation commenced on a voluntary basis in 2023 as soon as the senior leadership of the BAA became aware of the issues uncovered by the AIU investigation. It has cooperated fully with the investigation and taken a lead in creating the strategic plan and operational roadmap required to create real change within the federation and within the sport. The creation of a new NADO in Bahrain is a particularly significant outcome for clean sport.”
It should be noted that while the BAA had a number of clear failures to exercise control and oversight on matters within its influence, the senior federation leadership has not been involved in deliberate rule breaches and in fact wished to admit and address the failures of the organisation at the earliest opportunity.
In the view of the AIU Board, a satisfactory outcome to the matter has been reached – one which appropriately balances the need for punitive measures to send a strong message, and the goal of creating real change within the federation and within the sport.
World Athletics