Richard Pound, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) doyen, has urged reform of the "whereabouts requirement" used for out-of-competition drug testing, claiming that a "game" is currently being played with respect to missed tests.

The Canadian, a former President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), thinks that in some circumstances there is a case for expediting the present process.

In an exclusive interview with insidethegames, as his 44-year stint as a full IOC member draws to a close, Pound said:

There is a game being played with respect to missed tests.

The whereabouts requirement is a necessary element for any robust out-of-competition testing programme.

When a test is missed, there is currently an elaborate process of notification that takes far too much time.

Quite often, an athlete may well be where he/she promised to be, but may not wish to be tested (presumably out of concern that a sample provided on that occasion might well be positive) and deliberately does not answer the door.

Richard Pound feels there should be a way to fast track the process if athletes miss tests 

The WADA director general (or some other designated official) should be able — where such conduct may reasonably be suspected as deliberate (for example the doping control officer may know perfectly well that the athlete is there, but is not responding) — to authorise short-circuiting the process.

If, on Day 1, it is suspected that such conduct is deliberate, the official should be able to obtain permission to test on Day 2 and if that test is missed, to test on Day 3.

Three missed tests are deemed to be the equivalent of a positive test.

Appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are, of course, available.

Pound headed up WADA in the organisation's early days from 1999 to 2007, when his reputation as a leading figure in the Olympic world was key to establishing and cementing the body's credibility.

This and his subsequent work on the Russian doping crisis ensures that his views on the broad subject of performance enhancement continue to carry weight.

Pound was also asked whether he believed that the level of illicit drug use in sport was now declining.

His response:

I think that with the possible (perhaps likely) exception of those athletes at the very top of the heap, yes.

The 80-year-old’s time as a full IOC member is scheduled to finish at the end of this year.

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