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Read more of the frank-speaking Dick Pound in interviews and articles.

From Inside the Games

Veteran sports official Richard Pound has slammed World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) critics who have “no connection” with the organisation before admitting he has “little faith” in the value of recommendations made at next week’s Olympic Summit in Lausanne because of a lack of “diversity” among attendees.

Pound, the senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and founding President of WADA, believes all those present are “the usual suspects” who are “clearly not thinking differently over a broad range of issues”.

The Canadian was speaking in response to an insidethegames article in which IOC Executive Board member Sergey Bubka claimed a “thorough review” of WADA is in order to ensure value for money and to restore the confidence of clean athletes.

Bubka had claimed that a supposedly slow response to state-sponsored doping allegations in Russia since they were first approached in 2010, as well as the recent hackings by the Fancy Bears group, had shown how WADA’s policies and governance “must be changed” in order to increase efficiency.

Argentinian IOC member Gerhard Werthein has also advocated a “thorough review” and a “major restructuring” after claiming WADA is “more interested in publicity and self-promotion rather than doing its job as a regulator”.

Pound, who chaired the body’s first independent investigation into Russian doping allegations last year, insists they were unable to act earlier and that greater responsibility lies with International Federations and other stakeholders.

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