| 6 January 2020 - Statement from HUNADO on the documentary produced by ARD |
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The Hungarian Anti-Doping Group objects to and in the strongest terms rejects all accusations. Statement on the documentary produced by ARD television's investigative journalists group on the anti-doping program of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
On 05 January 2020 at 18.45, in a documentary broadcast on the Das Erste Television Channel, ARD (German Public TV) Television made several references to the Doping Control Officers’ activities of the Hungarian Anti-Doping Group (HUNADO), to which we would like to respond as follows:
For the Hungarian Anti-Doping Group (HUNADO) it has always been and continues to be top priority to provide up-to-date information on the anti-doping work-performed. Transparency and clarity is fundamental in all its anti-doping activities.
We greatly value ARD Television's investigative journalism work and respect everything it has done to promote clean sport. For that very reason we were available at all times to the Television’s investigative journalists and have provided detailed answers to all their questions in writing.
However, we were puzzled and shocked to see that in the documentary, broadcasted on 05 January 2020 by ADR, the data we provided did not appear at all. The facts supported by documents from the Hungarian Anti-Doping Group, were completely ignored by the German Public Television. Moreover the statements in the documentary were vague, lacking any actual evidence with malicious innuendo, imposing a completely false and unacceptable image on the anti-doping work of the Doping Control Officers.
Facts:
- The Hungarian Anti-Doping Group Non-Profit Private Limited Company is an independent anti-doping organization which performs HUNADO's tasks and which has obtained its status in a public procurement procedure by the European Union. HUNADO is an independent organization audited by WADA and has a fully compliant status. HUNADO has a number of foreign partners - international sports federations, major event organizations and the International Testing Agency (ITA) as well, to organize and carry out doping controls. During these doping controls, HUNADO acts solely as a Sample Collecting Authority (SCA), the instructions and sample taking orders come directly from the Testing Authorities (TA). Furthermore, HUNADO receives no information about the results of the testing, these always go directly to the Result Management Authority (RMA). This was the procedure followed during the tasks ordered by the International Weightlifting federation (IWF). All doping tests ordered by the IWF were carried out under the scope of the cooperation agreement between the IWF and HUNADO and the related documentation is available to any WADA inquiries at all times, subject to compliance with data protection rules.
- Carrying out impeccable doping controls under WADA rules is extremely important to us - therefore, under our internal regulations, any complaints or comments made by athletes, or even the slightest suspicion of irregularity would be investigated. We are continually training and taking full responsibility for our Doping Control Officers (DCO).
- We hereby declare that we have not received any reports of any Hungarian DCO having committed serious misconduct or having engaged in conduct that would have jeopardized the purity and integrity of any sample. HUNADO’s DCOs have worked at several Summer Olympic Games at the invitation of individual organising committees, and there has never been a complaint about their work, they have always earned recognition to themselves and to HUNADO.
- In November 2015, the International Weightlifting Federation organised its World Championships in Houston, USA. In the year of the World Championships, 2015, HUNADO DCOs did not carry out doping controls in Moldova. The last doping control carried out by HUNADO DCOs on Moldovan athletes took place in Chisinau, MDA, 12-14 October 2014. The complete documentation package (including the DCOs’ report about the circumstances of the sample taking) is available to any WADA inquiries at all times.
It is inaccurate that HUNADO did not participate in the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in Houston (USA), insomuch as the doping controls were carried out under the joint mission of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and HUNADO. Accordingly the HUNADO DCOs were actively involved in the discovery of numerous positive cases of the Houston World event. Cooperation between USADA -HUNADO was also repeated in 2017 at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, USA.
Finally, we would like to point out that the Doping Control Officers of HUNADO are respected, spotless professionals working in different fields of the medical practice with high qualifications. Any false, untrue references or insinuation made without any foundation or evidence regarding their work is emphatically rejected. We will fight with all our power (including through the taking of legal action, if necessary) for the honour and respect of the Hungarian Anti-Doping Group and the unquestionable integrity of our Doping Control Officers.
On behalf of the Hungarian Anti-doping Group (HUNADO),
Dr. Ágnes Tiszeker
Executive Director
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