‘Ill-informed and wrong’: Andrew Dillon rejects Soviet drug testing comparison

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has rejected claims from world anti-doping godfather Dick Pound, saying comparisons to Soviet-style testing regimes is “sensationalising” the issue.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has accused world anti-doping godfather Dick Pound of “sensationalising” footy’s drugs debate.

Pound, one of the world’s most respected anti-doping experts, has likened the AFL’s secret illicit drugs testing regime to East Germany’s notorious state-run programs that allowed a generation of cheats to avoid getting busted.

“Dick Pound has been an incredible administrator, he’s had some very important roles, but in relation to those comments I think he is way off the mark there,” Dillon told 3AW radio.

“They are ill-informed and they are wrong but what I will say is that the open conversations that have come about as a result of some of this reporting, I think that’s important and we are up for conversations.

“We have been on the record as saying that our illicit drugs policy is under review and these conversations will help us shape a policy that is fit for purpose for 2024 and beyond …”

When told by 3AW host Tony Jones that the AFL’s “off the books” drugs tests did have “similarities” to the East German methods, Dillon said: “Well, no, there’s not because he’s talking (Pound) - they were testing for substances that were banned in and out of competition.

“Any athlete in Australia is not tested out of competition for illicit substances - AFL players are and that’s under the illicit drugs policy. Under the WADA Code, they are not tested for them.”

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has rejected calls the AFL’s illicit drug testing regime is similar to state-run programs in East Germany. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Aaron Francis

Asked if he was disappointed by Pound’s comments, Dillon said: “As I said - an open debate is what we’re after - (but) what we want is informed debate and sensationalising I don’t think necessarily helps the debate”.

Pound is the founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and has slammed the AFL’s secret testing program and called on Australian police to look for links between players and organised crime gangs that may be supplying illicit drugs, including cocaine.

He said drugs such as cocaine were known to be banned substances so sports should not wash their hands if they were aware of players using them.

“I think they’re missing the point,” Pound said.

“It’s on the list.”

WADA and Sport Integrity Australia have so far declined to comment on the scandal.

“This is not the first time that this kind of conduct has occurred, but it completely undoes the underlying rationale of clean athletes where you get a get out of jail card free,” Pound said of the AFL’s secret testing policy.

“This goes back 45 years in the Montreal harbour during those 1976 Games.

“The Warsaw Pact countries had a ship and on the ship were two fully completed or fully operative laboratories.

“On the day before the competition, they would bring them in for testing, mostly for steroids in those days, and if they were going to test positive the next day, they were encouraged to be sick or have an injury and not participate.

“So the result was no East German, no Russian ever got caught doping because they were pre-tested the day before the competition. So this is using old Soviet techniques in 2024.”