The CSD sends a report on the irregularities of the CELAD to the Prosecutor’s Office and requests the resignation of its president

2024-01-05 21:54:27

The Higher Sports Council (CSD) presented last Tuesday to the State Attorney General’s Office the result of an investigation carried out by the Spanish Commission for “alleged irregularities in the use of public funds and in the control and sanction of doping.” the Fight against Doping in Sports (CELAD), also denounced by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The investigation presented by the CSD, developed within the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, arose as a result of a complaint for alleged irregularities on the part of the CELAD, and has been provided along with a series of reports on the praxis of the director of the organization, José Luis Terreros, who has been urged to resign “given the nature of the events and the reputational damage to which Spanish sport is exposed.”

In a statement, the CSD points out that the decision “adopted with the utmost respect for the presumption of innocence”, has received “the approval of the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports and the State Attorney’s Office” and ” responds to the commitment to provide the fight against doping with the highest standards of transparency, effectiveness, efficiency and safety.”

Along with the investigation, the Higher Sports Council has also transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office “the reports sent by the director of CELAD, José Luis Terreros, on its practices.” From there, it will be the Prosecutor’s Office that determines whether there are rational indications of the commission of a crime.

The CSD assured that it cannot “allow the slightest suspicion or doubt in relation to the fight against doping and the system that must guarantee fair play, the integrity of competitions and preserve the health of athletes,” especially because The AMA is closely monitoring the case and has even had to intervene to threaten Spanish sport with “relevant consequences” if these problems are not corrected.

Due to “the reputational damage to which Spanish sport is exposed”, the recently appointed president of the CSD, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, has asked José Luis Terreros, director of CELAD, to resign. If it does not occur, he will propose, together with Minister Pilar Alegría, his immediate dismissal.

Rodríguez Uribes reiterates “Spain’s commitment to ensuring that all athletes compete on equal terms and that the purity of sport prevails, which involves guaranteeing strict compliance with the World Code and anti-doping regulations, so that always the strictest control measures are implemented and a sporting culture that values ​​the ethics and integrity of all competitions is fostered.

For his part, the President of WADA, Witold Banka, declared on Friday that the Agency has been “studying this matter” carefully for some time: “We are very aware of the deeply rooted problems in the Spanish anti-doping fight. I am disappointed with the level of cooperation that we have received from CELAD in our attempt to improve the system for Spanish athletes. The fact that there are positive cases that have not been treated in time, despite regular monitoring by WADA, is unacceptable.”