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World Anti-Doping Agency wants NHL to expand drug testing

WADA MLB HGH Baseball

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2009, file photo, Australian John Fahey, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, speaks during a WADA Media Symposium at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. WADA president John Fahey has called on Major League Baseball and its players’ association to start testing for human growth hormone. Fahey said Thursday, March 18, 2010, that if they were serious about getting rid of cheats, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association should immediately start out-of-competition testing and the collection of blood samples. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron, File)

AP

The NHL rarely deals with the steroid backlash that hounds Major League Baseball and troubles the NFL. Some, like former World Anti-Doping Agency head Dick Pound, wonder if it’s simply because of the league’s drug testing policies.

Former WADA chair Dick Pound has been harshly critical of the NHL’s approach to doping, alleging in the past that as many as 30 per cent of hockey players are using performance-enhancing substances.

Current WADA chair John Fahey said that he’s disappointed that the league isn’t fully compliant with the world anti-doping code but that the agency is working with the NHL to expand its testing.

WADA chair John Fahey says talks continue with the league to try to widen the window of time during which players can be tested.

Currently the NHL allows players to be tested up to three times a season but none of those tests can occur in the playoffs or during the summer.

Fahey says the limitation is disappointing, but WADA is making some progress in talks with the league.

We’ll keep you up to date on the league’s policies when/if they evolve.