The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has seen Al Jazeera’s 27 December investigative documentary ‘The dark side: The secret world of sports doping’, which links well known players and entourage from the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) with performance enhancing drugs. “Al Jazeera’s allegations are very concerning; particularly, as it relates to the NFL’s and MLB’s testing programs,” said David Howman, Director General, WADA. “While the NFL and the MLB are not signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code; in recent years, WADA has been working with them, and other professional leagues in the United States, to try to bring them closer to WADA’s program”.

“In particular with the NFL, we have been offering guidance to enhance, and increase the transparency of, their testing program”, continued Howman. “We would of course welcome increased collaboration with the leagues and their Players’ Associations to discuss appropriate enhancements that could be made in support of clean athletes. As it relates to the particular allegations by Al Jazeera, WADA expects that they will be carefully investigated by the relevant authorities and that, if warranted, necessary and appropriate steps would be taken. While the matter is outside of WADA’s mandate; as always, the Agency stands ready and willing to work with authorities as appropriate.”

• This media release was originally published on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s internet site on 28 December 2015. To access the original, please click here.