October 5, 2011 - WADA Legal Director Olivier Niggli was part of an eminent panel at the Science and Ethics in Sport Symposium in London as the efforts of the anti-doping community were given the full support of a trio of Olympic greats.

The Laureus symposium was presented by 400m hurdles legend Edwin Moses, and the IOC Ethics Commission member was joined by GB Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson and twice world champion Colin Jackson in giving insights into the battle against doping in sport.

“I attended an IOC conference into corruption in sport and the influence of the underworld, and I thought it was very important that we held something similar to address the issue of doping,” said Mr. Moses, Olympic champion in 1976 and 1984.

“I also think it is a good opportunity to give some credit to the people who lead the fight against doping in sport, and to let them know that they are appreciated and have the support of athletes for the work they do.

“Too often when a test or result is questioned by an athlete or federation there is a one-sided assault and the anti-doping community does not have the opportunity to defend itself.”

The three athletes were unanimous in their support for the Whereabouts program and recognized it as a necessary part of the testing process, and agreed that doping had cast a large shadow over the sport in which they had all excelled on the world stage.

Joining Mr. Niggli on the panel was US Anti-Doping Agency Chief Executive Travis Tygart, Professor David Cowan, Director of King’s College Doping Control Centre, UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive Andy Parkinson, and Jonathan Harris, Medical Services Manager Anti-Doping for London 2012.

The panelists took part in a discussion on how to create the most effective anti-doping programs, science and intelligence, and the programs in place for London 2012.

Prior to the two Q&A sessions involving the panelists and athletes, USADA Chief Science Officer Dr. Larry Bowers gave a presentation on the science behind detection and deterrence and why the collection of blood was so important to a successful anti-doping program.

Related Story

• China's Sheng Lihao wins 2nd Paris Olympic gold with men's 10m air rifle victory(08-29 19:31)
• Olympics | Day 13: Chinese diver defends Olympic title, weightlifting debutant claims gold(08-09 16:50)
• Olympics | Chinese weightlifters Hou, Li retain gold at Paris 2024(08-08 14:26)
• Olympics | Day 12: Chinese weightlifters retain Olympic golds, artistic swimming team make history(08-08 14:23)
• Olympics | Chinese diver Quan defends women's 10m platform title at Paris Games(08-07 22:37)