ADDENDUM TO ANTI-DOPING CONSULTATION REPORT
Cycling Canada was made aware of the concern of a member regarding compliance with the Terms of Reference for the Consultation Report that was published on October 29, 2014. The specific concern related to item 16 of the Terms of Reference which reads; “LBB will act independently during the consultation process, with no influence whatsoever from CCES or CCC or any of its officials and/or employees, past or present, and will receive no instructions whatsoever either from CCES or CCC with regard to the consultation process and the substantive content in the LBB Report.”
The intent of this clause was to ensure that the interviewer (LBB Strategies) was not influenced in any manner by either the CCES or Cycling Canada in their work. We believe that goal was upheld but wish to acknowledge the concern that has been raised. The specific issue raised was that one of the interviewers had a contract with Cycling Canada in 2003. Although this was not known by the project coordinators at CCES or Cycling Canada at the time the Consultation commenced, it has been found to be the case. This individual was known by CCES and Cycling Canada to have played an active role in the administration of Cycling Canada many years earlier – well prior to the years covered by the Consultation process. This earlier involvement in cycling was deemed acceptable, indeed beneficial, as in-depth knowledge of the sport was a required component of the interviewee selection process where not all who wished to contribute could be heard.
Cycling Canada contacted the President of LBB Strategies, Benoit Girardin, who provided the following statement; “Our consultancy firm, LBB Strategies, recently conducted a study and consultation on the doping activity in Canadian cycling. It has been brought to our attention that one of the three interviewers that worked on the project had a contract with the Canadian Cycling Association for one year during the period that was reviewed (January 1, 1998 to December 1, 2013). As the project director, I can confirm that the interviewer conducted just a few interviews, provided me with the raw interview notes and was not involved in the analysis of the interview results or in drafting the report. I am totally confident that the legitimacy and objectivity of the report, its findings and recommendations have not been impacted at all by this situation”.
Cycling Canada believes the Consultation Report was in all respects true to its intents and aims, and that a great deal of valuable information was learned from it. We don’t feel that the integrity of the report was compromised in any way and we believe that it has provided us with a great tool as we try and move towards cleaner sport.
