Sunday, June 29, 2008

SFRC: Report on the International Convention Against Doping in Sport

On Friday, June 27th, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee submitted its Report (Exec. Rept. 110-11) on the International Convention Against Doping in Sport (Treaty Doc. 110-14). The Committee favorably reported the Convention on June 24th, following a hearing on May 22nd. The Convention was transmitted to the Senate on February 6, 2008. The proposed resolution of advice and consent to ratification contains one understanding, one declaration, and one condition. The SFRC's report notes that "U.S. ratification is . . . important for a practical reason: The International Olympic Committee has stated that it will only award the Olympic Games to countries that are party to the Convention. The city of Chicago is among the finalists to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but it would likely not be awarded the Games if the Convention is not ratified by the United States."