• Because of the global pandemic, MPCC is fully aware that these figures are altered by a lower number of ani-doping tests carried out through the year. However, reality can sometimes be unsettling.

The global coronavirus pandemic was a serious obstacle to the antidoping fight this year. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), through its General Director Olivier Niggli, conceded a few days ago that the pandemic may have created some “holes” in the anti-doping programs in several countries.

Multiple international federations agree with this unpleasant statement. The Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) admitted a 90% decrease in the out-of-competition tests during the two months following the start of the pandemic compared to the same period last year.

Across all sports, we logically account for a lower number of cases than during the previous years. There is one notable exception: track and field, where almost 100 cases have been revealed throughout the first three quarters of the year 2020 (as against 81 cases during the whole year 2019).

Within the same period, cycling had to deal with a dozen of cases (two within World Teams), a lower figure than last year at the same time, but still very close to the data of the last five years. This last observation is a great source of worry for MPCC, given the lower number of tests in 2020.

• This media release was published by the movement for credible cycling (MPCC) on 19 November 2020. Click here for the original.