Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: The BCCI on Sunday refused to let go of its stand on the WADA Anti-Doping Code, which makes it mandatory for cricketers to be available for out of competition testing, in an emergency meeting with the ICC officials.
The board said it has no problem with players being tested as part of the WADA Code but it fully shares their concerns on the ‘Whereabouts Clause’, which requires them to furnish information about their location three months in advance for out of competition tests.
“We are agreeing with the dope testing code, we are only objecting to the system. The issue is out of competition testing. Our players are ready to be tested but they say they are not in a position to give their whereabouts. We back the players on this,” BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters here after the meeting.
“You cannot invade the privacy of individuals. I don’t know what the ICC will do. The implications of this decision would be decided after we write to the ICC. Today, it would be jumping the gun,” he added.
Some of the top Indian cricketers had expressed discontent on the clause which makes it necessary for them to give details about their availability for one hour every day for random out-of-competition testing by WADA officials.
The Board said that a notice of 24 hours should be given to the players for ‘out of play’ testing.
The decision to back its players was taken at an emergency meeting of the Working Committee after consulting star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, All-rounder Yuvraj Singh, spinner Harbhajan Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni, Yuvraj and Harbhajan were also present at the meeting.
The BCCI gave three reasons for not agreeing to the clause, saying it was unreasonable, violated the Indian constitution and was an invasion of the players’ privacy.
“The players have security cover and they cannot disclose their whereabouts with a security cover. Secondly, the privacy of an individual cannot be invaded and thirdly, our constitution gives a guarantee regarding an individual’s privacy. You cannot invade on somebody’s privacy 24 hours a day for 365 days,” Manohar said.
The BCCI’s tough stand has put the ICC in a quandary since cricketers of most other Test playing nations have agreed to sign the code. It effectively signals a fresh tussle between the BCCI and the game’s governing body, which have been at loggerheads on a number of occasions in recent past.
Asked the options ICC might have in the wake of BCCI’s refusal to sign the code, Manohar said it was not necessary to adhere to the code.
“WADA is a private agency engaged by the ICC. Tomorrow the ICC may say we don’t want you. We can have our own dope testing mechanism,” Manohar said.
The BCCI said though the code has been in discussion since 2006, the mechanism for testing was never deliberated upon in any of the ICC meetings.
“The issue came up in 2006 when it was discussed and everybody agreed that there should not be any doping in cricket. Cricket should be WADA compliant. But the system of testing was never discussed at ICC,” Manohar revealed.
BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, who was also present at the meeting, also emphasised that the players were not trying to evade dope tests but were only concerned about their privacy.
“Indian players have never objected to dope test even out of competition. We have told the ICC that if you want a player to be tested out of competition, you tell us the name and we will produce him but the whereabouts clause of 24-hour availability is a problem,” he said.
The BCCI further asked the ICC to negotiate with WADA and make some amendments in the controversial clause.
The ICC, on its part, said it was aware of the Indian players’ concerns on the matter and it was confident that a solution can be worked out.
“The ICC is grateful to the BCCI for its time. We are aware of the issues and the concerns but we are confident they can be sorted out. We are looking for a practical solution. The next step is the matter to be taken to the ICC Board,” ICC’s Media and Communications Manager Brian Murgatroyd said.
The BCCI President had telephonic discussion with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag on the clause before the Working Committee meeting.
While most international sportspersons have signed the clause, Indian cricketers are not isolated either as football’s governing FIFA is also not a signatory to the code.
FIFA is still negotiating with WADA to review the contentious clause and the BCCI may cite this while seeking a review from the ICC.
The ICC had asked all its affiliated members to get their players sign the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Code by July 31 but the BCCI was faced with the reluctance of 11 of its chosen cricketers, including two women, to comply with the code.
The cricketers are uncomfortable with the “Whereabouts” clause which makes it necessary for them to give details about their availability for one hour every day (between 6 am and 11 pm) for random out-of-competition testing by WADA officials.
WADA said these are powerful deterrents and means of detecting doping by athletes.
This specific rule is also part of the WADA’s revised International Standard for Testing (IST) that came into effect along with the revised Anti-Doping Code on January 1 this year.
The revised IST was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee, composed in equal parts of representatives from governments and sport, on May 10 last year.
The 11 Indian cricketers who are part of the country’s testing pool are Tendulkar, Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj.
