Beckie Scott & Ed Moses pull out of Wada review
- Published
Wada officials 'disrespected' me - Scott tells BBC sports editor Dan Roan
Two senior World Anti-Doping Agency officials have pulled out of a "fatally flawed" investigation into bullying allegations at the organisation.
Last year, Beckie Scott, the chair of the athletes' committee, told BBC Sport she was "treated with disrespect".
Former Olympic champion Ed Moses, chair of Wada's education committee, backed up the claims.
But both have now withdrawn from the independent review, which their lawyer has described as a "kangaroo court".
Background
In October 2018, Canadian Scott claimed some of the organisation's most senior officials tried to "bully and belittle" her after she opposed Russian reinstatement at a meeting.
Wada denied the claims and insisted there had merely been "heated discussion", although American Moses - who won gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics - said he had also experienced "the marginalisation, lack of respect and denigrating conduct which Beckie described".
An initial investigation did not conclude the alleged bullying had taken place, but Wada then agreed to begin a second, more detailed phase of its independent review.
Wada reinstated Russia's anti-doping agency (Rusada) in September 2018 following a three-year ban over state-sponsored doping.
Scott resigned from Wada's compliance review committee following the decision to approve Rusada's reinstatement and says she faced "upsetting" comments by some of the members representing the Olympic movement when she opposed the move.
'A flawed process'
According to a statement released on their behalf, Ben Chew, the lawyer of Scott and Moses, has now written to Wada explaining why his clients have pulled out of the process.
He claims it is "lacking in transparency and independence".
The statement also says the investigation "has no terms of reference, scope, reporting requirements or public disclosure protocols" and that "a flawed and bizarrely sequenced process... has seen witness interviews conducted before hearing from Ms Scott and Dr Moses in order to understand the complaints".
It adds: "Not one concern has been given a satisfactory response, in fact the concerns have been cast aside. As a result, Ms Scott and Dr Moses feel they have no choice but to decline to participate in this fatally flawed process.
"Based on these inadequacies, any progression, outcome or conclusion drawn by this current investigation cannot be regarded as impartial or as having integrity or credibility."
In response to the claims, Wada said: "The World Anti-Doping Agency [Wada] notes with disappointment the decision of Beckie Scott and Edwin Moses to decline to cooperate with the independent investigation into Ms Scott's allegations of improper conduct by members of the Agency's Executive Committee [ExCo] at its September 2018 meeting.
"It is unfortunate that Ms Scott and Mr Moses, who continue to sit as Chairs of Wada's Athlete Committee and Education Committees, respectively, have refused to cooperate with the very process they themselves called for.
"While their refusal to explain their perspective on an issue they raised is regrettable and unusual, Wada has continued in good faith to ensure these serious allegations are investigated as thoroughly and as fairly as possible and expects that the investigation will conclude shortly."