The anti-doping Agency should stay in Montreal

Photo AFP

QMI agency

Sunday, 24 September, 2017 08:53

UPDATE
Sunday, 24 September, 2017 08:53

Look at this article

There’s a good chance that the world anti-doping Agency is in Montreal, said quebec’s minister of international Relations Christine St-Pierre to get out of a meeting with the international olympic Committee.

The end of this week, a delegation composed of representatives of Montréal international, the federal minister of Transport Marc Garneau and Ms. St-Pierre went to Paris to convince the committee to retain the status quo.

According to the current agreement, the future of WADA in Montreal is assured until 2021, but some IOC members would like the Agency to be moved by the result.

According to the first echoes of the meeting, obtained by the minister St-Pierre, the situation bodes well for Montreal: we would avoid the launch of a call for proposals to find another city where you want to install the Agency.

“I will have to confirm all of this […], but there are proposals that are made, and it seems positive,” she stressed.

Discussions will then take place between WADA and the governments to reach an agreement.

An official confirmation should arrive in the next few hours.

In his remarks, the canadian delegation has focused in particular on the distance between Montreal and the headquarters of the IOC, in Europe, and this gives greater independence to the world anti-doping Agency, as well as on the quality of the workforce.

“We have allies around the table. There are people who consider that the world anti-doping Agency has its place in Montreal, that there needs to be independence between Montreal and Lausanne (IOC headquarters). This is an argument that is very strong and bears fruit.”