Athletes anger over age change suggestion

Three high-profile Olympic and Paralympic athletes are incensed over a proposed age minimum that would eliminate their choice to be the next president of the World AntiDoping Agency (Wada). A list of guidelines under consideration includes a requirement that any candidate to replace Craig Reedie be at least 45. Reedie’s term expires next year. That would eliminate 41-year-old Linda Helleland of Norway, who has emerged as a favourite among athletes who want to see revolutionary change in Wada following the agency’s muchcriticised decision to reinstate Russia’s antidoping operation. Members of Athletes for Clean Sport, Sebastian Samuelsson, Callum Skinner and

Ali Jawad, released a statement this week calling the proposal “totally unacceptable.” They wrote: “Is it merely a coincidence that just weeks before the athlete-minded candidate Linda Helleland would begin her campaign to be the next President, Wada could allow rules to be pushed through that would render Linda’s campaign ineligible?” The proposal will be discussed at Wada’s board meeting that takes place next week.