November 9, 2007 (Montreal, QC) – It is rumoured that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) might soon leave its head office in Montreal and move to Lausanne, Switzerland according to a recent article in La Presse. Denis Coderre, the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport under the former Liberal government, is cited as the source of the rumour. Coderre is considered to be the architect of the diplomatic coup that brought WADA to Canada in 2001 when Montreal won a fourth round, 17-to-15 vote over Lausanne at a WADA Foundation Board meeting. Coderre suggests that Lausanne “badly digested” that loss, leading to discussion of a possible relocation on the agenda at the WADA Foundation Board meeting in Madrid this November 17. Coderre also termed the dispute “a perpetual battle.”

Many international sports federations are located in Switzerland, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the UCI.

Retiring WADA president, Dick Pound, was reached by La Presse and denied the rumour while nonetheless admitting that the location of WADA’s head office will be on the agenda in Madrid. Current Secretary of State for Sport, Helena Guergis, could not be reached. The three-person Canadian delegation to Madrid will be composed of Pound, Guergis, and retired cross-country skier, Beckie Scott. Pound and Scott are members of the WADA Foundation Board while Guergis is going as a representative of the Canadian government.

The present offices of WADA, in Montreal’s Stock Exchange Tower, were leased for 10 years beginning in 2002. Federal authorities have apparently indicated to the WADA Foundation Board that they want the head office to stay in Canada. Montreal International, an agency that promotes Montreal’s international status and is supported by the federal and Quebec governments, contributed more than $1 million to WADA last year.

For the complete story in La Presse click here.