The president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, called for the resignation of the director of the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport (CELAD), José Luis Terreros. The CSD announced this in an official statement on Friday, amid the scandal that has rocked the public institutions that regulate and monitor sport in Spain.
CELAD, the body responsible for protecting the right to health of all athletes and the right to participate in competitions without cheating, was the subject of a complaint from an individual a few months ago. The documents show that CELAD left Spanish athletes who tested positive without sanction, activated procedures to conceal the use of banned substances and awarded contracts to companies that did not comply with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). , which resulted in a criminal offense. The controls and their de facto nullity. The AMA itself warned about the veracity of the reported events and the CSD referred the case to the public prosecutor's office.
As the highest administrative body for sport in Spain, the CSD is directly dependent on the government through the Ministry of Education and Sport. His powers include oversight of anti-doping organizations such as CELAD, but strangely he lacks the authority to freely remove its leader. The request is a formality. A step in the bureaucratic order that Rodríguez Uribes hastened this Friday, as the CSD reported in a long statement.
“We cannot allow the slightest suspicion or doubt regarding the fight against doping and the system that must ensure fair play, the integrity of competitions and the protection of the health of athletes,” the statement said. “For this reason, given the nature of the events and the reputational damage to which Spanish sport and our control system is subjected, the President of the CSD, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, has asked the Director of the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport, José Luis Terreros, his resignation.”
After formulating the request, the statement continues to detail the administrative procedure that will be followed in the event that Terreros ignores it: “If this\[dimisión\] did not take place, the minister \[Cultura y Deporte\] Pilar Alegría and the President of the Higher Sports Council, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, will propose the dismissal of Mr. Terreros during the next Governing Council of CELAD. The Governing Council, the body ultimately responsible for this decision, is made up of a councilor representing the Spanish sports associations, a councilor representing all the Autonomous Communities and several councilors representing different ministries.
The AMA points to “deep-rooted problems” in Spain
The Spanish anti-doping government scandal has implications for WADA. Its president, Witold Banka, said yesterday that his organization has been investigating the Spanish case for some time. “We are very aware of the deep-rooted problems in the Spanish anti-doping fight. I am disappointed with the level of cooperation we have received from CELAD in our attempt to improve the system for Spanish athletes. “The fact that there are positive cases that were not treated in a timely manner is unacceptable.”
“WADA,” concluded Banka, “will always ensure that CELAD – and all anti-doping organizations – adhere to the highest standards in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code, including prosecuting cases where this is the case is appropriate.” All of these matters will be investigated in detail. If they are not addressed quickly and effectively, it is clear that this will have significant consequences for Spanish sport.”
Finally, Banka warned in a letter that WADA had found that Spain was not in compliance with anti-doping regulations. It refers in particular to the Anti-Doping Law of 2021 and its implementation through a later decree. “Obvious non-compliance was identified in a royal decree published in October 2023 without prior consultation with WADA,” the statement said. “The way the law is interpreted and applied in practice does not comply with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code.”
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