U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would impose criminal sanctions on people involved in international doping fraud conspiracies.
“As hardworking athletes who play by the rules have experienced, the current framework is fundamentally ill-equipped to defend clean athletes and prevent doping fraud,” Rep. Burgess said this week.
The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019, H.R. 835, also would provide restitution for victims of such conspiracies and would require information sharing with the United States Anti-Doping Agency, among other provisions, according to the text of the bill.
Among the 11 original cosponsors joining Rep. Burgess in introducing H.R. 835, sponsored on Jan. 29 by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), was U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-MO).
The same-named S. 259, also introduced on Jan. 29 by U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), includes original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).
The proposed bill is named for Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia’s national anti-doping laboratory, the Anti-Doping Center, and a whistleblower who exposed his country’s state-sponsored doping scandal in 2014. The World Anti-Doping Agency suspended the Anti-Doping Center for facilitating Russia’s doping program and banned more than 40 of the country’s athletes from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics for allegedly using illegal drugs to enhance their performances.
“Athletes who compete honestly should never have victory seized from them by those who have used performance-enhancing drugs,” said Rep. Burgess, who noted that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s suspension decision for the Russian center essentially gave it “a free pass.”
That decision, he said, “clearly conveys that leaders of international sport governance refuse to uphold the integrity of competition.”
Specifically, the proposed bill would establish criminal penalties for participating in a scheme to influence a major international sporting competition that includes U.S. athletes or U.S. stakeholders through illegal substances or methods, according to the lawmaker’s Jan. 29 statement.
“Russia’s doping scandal not only harmed clean international athletes, but also hurt its own athletes,” Rep. Burgess said. “It is time to restore a level playing field and ensure that the rights of U.S. and all clean athletes are respected, and the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act will help to avert fraud and protect our athletes.”
H.R. 835 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, while S. 259 is under review by the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.