Warne decision less than expected by world anti-drug body

Australia's government will be left feeling embarrassed if the arbitration ruling allowing Shane Warne to play charity and testimonial matches results in games being organised to allow the legspinner an easier return to international play once his ban ends.

Players who play alongside Warne in such matches will also be seen as condoning his eluding the ban, according to David Howman, chief operating officer and special counsel of the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency. The WADA body has been formed to attack the problems of drug use in sport and has been supported by the International Olympic Committee and 75 governments around the world, including the cricket-playing countries of Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Britain.

WADA has established a world anti-doping code that is an attempt to harmonise rules and regulations in regard to anti-doping across the world. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has so far only indicated an interest in the code and has not signed on. However, cricket bodies in the countries that have signed the code have to comply with it.

Howman said WADA would be concerned that any stakeholder allowed sham games or competitions to be effectively used to avoid or defeat bans. "In this case, perhaps the Australian government might be a little embarrassed and upset. So might the ICC if they ever choose to adopt the code. The ban must be upheld by all and that is the underpinning of the Code to achieve global harmony," Howman said.

"Without seeing the decision and the process, it is difficult to be firm in a comment, but from the information available, it shows an attitude that is less than expected and an approach that puts Australia back in the firing line of being critical of others but protective of their own. WADA is hopeful that this will not continue under the Code."

Australia has come under fire for highlighting drug issues among overseas sports people - like the Chinese swimmers in the late 1990s - but protecting their own, as happened with rugby player Ben Tune recently. The Warne situation is being seen as yet another example of that. Warne has been commentating for Australian television on the Bangladesh series.

The Australian Players' Association had sought clearance for Warne, but this was disputed by Cricket Australia and went to independent arbitration. The independent arbitrator, Peter O'Callaghan QC of Victoria, found that the Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies did not allow Cricket Australia to prevent Warne from playing. His decision was expected to have been released in full last week but has so far not been presented.

Howman said the Australian government was one of the first to sign the world anti-doping code, and he anticipated that cricket associations in the member countries should be the driving force behind the ICC adopting it.

"Sports or sports administrators who fail to introduce compliant rules put their sport or their country in jeopardy for partaking in international events like the Olympics and world championships," he said.