Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 21 October (BelTA) – The operation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) should be more transparent, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his remarks at the 45^th session of the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) on 21 October, BelTA has learned.

“Doping is still a topical issue. Belarus stands for clean sport. But collective responsibility is not the best option. Suspending entire teams from the Olympics is unjustified and counterproductive,” Alexander Lukashenko is convinced. “The punishment for violations should be selective and unavoidable rather than generalized and hasty. The protection of the rights of honest athletes should be a priority.”

The President stressed that Belarus welcomes the efforts of the International Olympic Committee to reform the world anti-doping system. “A higher transparency for WADA, the involvement of more countries in the process will help prevent many violations and raise the efficiency of work,” the head of state remarked.

At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko is convinced that this process cannot run behind closed doors. “Regional associations of Olympic committees should work out proposals to ensure higher reliability of this system. The European Olympic Committees must play one of the leading roles. We are ready to take an active part in this work,” the Belarusian leader said.