On the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Pan American Games held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic may face a very serious censure by the World Anti-Druga Agency (WADA). All Dominican teams and athletes will only be able to compete with no flag or national anthem. And all of this is due to the lack of compliance by the Dominican Ministry of Sports with requirements by the WADA.
The Diario Libre, in commenting on this issue, mentions the numerous communications that have been sent to alert the Ministry of Sports. The newspaper obtained a copy of the communication ultimatum that was sent on 4 May 2023 to the Ministry of Sports and the Dominican Olympic Committee by Maria Jose Pesce, who represents WADA in the Americas. The note clearly states that if by 4 August 2023, the Dominican Republic sports authorities have not corrected some 15 issues noted by the agency, the non-fulfillment clause of WADA would go into effect, and deprive all Dominican sports representatives from displaying any national identification.
At the root of the problem is money. The WADA noted that the Dominican Anti-doping Agency needed RD$10 million annually to fulfill its obligations.
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Diario Libre
29 May 2023