MPCC Press Release: World Tour Spared from Doping Cases in 2021

For the first time since its creation in 2005, the World Tour recorded no doping cases last year, at the end of an Olympic year that revealed fewer doping cases (all sports combined), but a sharp increase in convictions for corruption.

Source: Press Release

Since 2014, the MPCC has offered this “barometer” which only takes into account cases revealed by federations, anti-doping agencies, the justice system, or the press. The MPCC only considers proceedings related to high-level or professional athletes. Since 2018, the MPCC has included convictions for corruption, which encompass both financial malfeasance and match-fixing.

For the past year, it should be noted that Russia has regained the top spot in the national ranking, which had not happened for six years. It should be specified that in 2021, there were practically no revelations following re-analyses ordered by WADA. The cleanup had been done previously with spectacular results: Russians had 29% of their medals withdrawn from all five previous Summer Games (Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio).

For 2021, this increase in positive cases illustrates the need for Russian sports leaders to purge a corrupt system in order to regain the favor of major sports bodies. Their attitude follows the sanctions imposed on the Russian Olympic Committee, which was suspended during the Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2021), and Beijing (2022) Games. Similarly, the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) was extended for a 7th consecutive year in 2022 by World Athletics. Only Russian athletes who demonstrated their absence of doping were allowed to compete under a neutral banner.

Again, 2021 was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many sporting events were canceled, even though the Tokyo Olympics (one year late), the Euro football championship, and the Tour de France did take place. For its part, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stated that it was able to successfully carry out its anti-doping program, which had not been the case in 2020.

In this context, we note with astonishment, for the fourth consecutive year, a significant decrease in the number of publicly revealed cases. This constant decrease over the last four years leads to twice as many doping and corruption cases being revealed in 2021 as in 2018!

The most significant decreases concern above all athletics (half as many cases as last year) and baseball (with 96 cases, it was the most affected sport in 2017. Only 5 cases this year).

Across all its disciplines, cycling (ranked 7th) remains at fairly constant values over time (apart from a jump observed in 2019). But the absence of doping revelations in the World Tour last year is a first since its creation in 2005; in reality, since this sport decided to seriously tackle the scourge, following the Festina affair (1998).

On the ground, some actors and leaders are not rejoicing. Testimonies from emblematic riders again denounce a two-speed cycling, and the UCI Director, in a recent interview (1), confided that anti-doping tests are no longer sufficient to detect cheaters. According to Amina Lamiya, more radical investigative methods should be considered. An approach that the MPCC unreservedly supports, which leads it to relativize the flattering reality of the figures in this table.

Cycling seems fortunately spared from problems of corruption and rigged results. This is not the case for other sports such as tennis, cricket, or even football, where convictions are multiplying. In 2022, it will also be necessary to monitor the increasing number of sexual scandals, which seriously undermine the credibility and integrity of certain sports.

(1) Ouest-France, January 10, 2022