Anti-doping crusader dies at 78

Gary Wadler, one of the strongest voices in the fight against performance-enhancing drugs in sports, has died. He was 78.

Wadler’s wife told The New York Times that her husband died of multiple system atrophy, a degenerative neurological disorder.

Wadler testified in front of Congress in the 1990s about the way doping was undercutting the Olympics and threatening the health of elite athletes and, potentially, those who tried to emulate them.

He chaired the World AntiDoping Agency committee that considers which substances should be banned in sports, and was a leading critic of the way American sports leagues.

“He was an early pioneer in the effort to protect the health and safety of athletes, and he’ll be missed,” said Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.