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WADA and Interpol join forces to target drug trafficking

Craig Reedie

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2015, file photo, Craig Reedie, second from left, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, (WADA), listens to a question during a news conference following a meeting in which WADA leadership voted to declare Russia’s anti-doping operation out of compliance, in Colorado Springs, Colo. World Anti-Doping Agency president Craig Reedie expects an end to the public barbs between his organization and Olympic officials. A rift widened since July when a WADA-commissioned report detailed a state-backed doping program in Russia for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and across summer and winter sports. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

AP

LYON, France (AP) -- The World Anti-Doping Agency and Interpol have set up a joint project aimed at targeting criminal networks specialized in doping substances.

WADA and the world’s largest international police organization say they want to identify connections between organized crime and the trafficking of banned performance-enhancing substances including anabolic steroids, growth hormones, peptides and EPO in sport.

Interpol said in a statement that Project Energia, which is funded by WADA, will improve the fight against drug trafficking through targeted criminal analysis.

WADA director-general Olivier Niggli said the initiative “is a key component in the global fight against doping. By joining forces, WADA and Interpol are better able to share intelligence on trafficking methods and on those who manufacture and distribute dangerous substances to athletes seeking an edge.”

MORE: WADA releases list of prohibited substances