From Inside the Games
Marcos Diaz of the Dominican Republic has emerged as a potential third contender for President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), insidethegames can reveal.
The 43-year-old former marathon swimmer refused to rule out standing to succeed Sir Craig Reedie, telling insidethegames he was “not yet a candidate”.
But insidethegames understands Diaz, a member of the Executive Committee and Foundation Board, is likely to challenge WADA vice-president Linda Helleland and Polish Sports Minister Witold Bańka for the nomination of the public authorities group within the global anti-doping watchdog.
The public authorities have agreed to nominate one single candidate for the position and hope to make a final selection at a meeting prior to May’s Foundation Board gathering in Montreal.
It is hoped this will be reached by consensus but a secret ballot will be held, where each region has a vote, if this does not prove possible.
The public authorities have also called on candidates to campaign “with honesty, dignity and respect for his or her opponents” following a public clash between Helleland and Bańka last week.
They have also told contenders who fail to secure the public authority nomination to cease campaigning.
“Public authorities agree to nominate only one candidate to the Foundation Board and interested candidates will be expected to agree not to pursue their campaigns in case they are not successful to secure sufficient support of the public authorities,” the proposal, distributed by the group to the WADA Foundation Board here today and seen by insidethegames, read.
The process to determine their candidate is due to be launched when WADA publishes the official call for nominations in December under the terms of the proposal.
Each region has been urged to propose one candidate as part of the first phase, which should be sent to the “one voice” platform secretariat, launched last year, by March 8.
