Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, Americans love sports. They love honest sports. They love winning the Stanley Cup by the great team here in Washington. We loved winning the World Series with the Houston Astros. We love our Olympics.

Today, I rise because I recently introduced, H.R. 6067, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, or RADA.

In the realm of international sports, it has become almost commonplace for too many athletes to yield to the temptation of bridging the gap between their own skills and the pinnacle of athletic achievement by resorting to performance-enhancing drugs.

To conceal this fall from grace, cheaters are employing increasingly sophisticated modes of masking the use of any prescribed drugs. This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, undermines international athletic competition. That is why I introduced the RADA Act, H.R. 6067.

I ask my colleagues to join me. This is a bipartisan bill supported by Ms. Gwen Moore, Dr. Burgess, and myself. Our numbers are growing. The legislation I have introduced is bipartisan.

As well, we salute the valiant man who revealed the true extent of the complex, state-run doping scheme in Russia.

Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to close by saying a young lady by the name of Alysia Montano lost a race to Russians who had been a part of doping fraud. She lost the medal and she lost millions, but she also may have lost her spirit.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from The New York Times entitled: ``U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions'' which cites RADA as a step in the right direction toward criminalizing doping in international sports.

[From the New York Times, June 12, 2018]

U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions

(By Rebecca R. Ruiz)

United States lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward

criminalizing doping in international sports, introducing a

bill in the House that would attach prison time to the use,

manufacturing or distribution of performance-enhancing drugs

in global competitions.

The legislation, inspired by the Russian doping scandal,

would echo the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it

illegal to bribe foreign officials to gain a business

advantage. The statute would be the first of its kind with

global reach, empowering American prosecutors to act on

doping violations abroad, and to file fraud charges of a

different variety than those the Justice Department brought

against top international soccer officials in 2015.

Although American leagues like Major League Baseball would

not be affected by the legislation, which would apply only to

competitions among countries, it could apply to a league's

athletes when participating in global events like the Ryder

Cup, the Davis Cup or the World Baseball Classic.

The law would establish America's jurisdiction over

international sports events, even those outside of the United

States, if they include at least three other nations, with at

least four American athletes participating or two American

companies acting as sponsors. It would also enhance the

ability of cheated athletes and corporate sponsors to seek

damages, expanding the window of time during which civil

lawsuits could be filed.

To justify the United States' broader jurisdiction over

global competitions, the House bill invokes the United

States' contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the

global regulator of drugs in sports. At $2.3 million, the

United States' annual contribution is the single largest of

any nation. ``Doping fraud in major international

competitions also effectively defrauds the United States,''

the bill states.

The lawmakers behind the bill were instrumental in the

creation of the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which gave the government

the right to freeze financial assets and impose visa

restrictions on Russian nationals accused of serious human

rights violations and corruption. On Tuesday, the lawmakers

framed their interest in sports fraud around international

relations and broader networks of crime that can accompany

cheating.

``Doping fraud is a crime in which big money, state assets

and transnational criminals gain advantage and honest

athletes and companies are defrauded,'' said Sheila Jackson

Lee, Democrat of Texas, who introduced the legislation on

Tuesday. ``This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, has

the ability to undermine international relations, and is

often connected to more nefarious actions by state actors.''

Along with Ms. Jackson Lee, the bill was sponsored by two

other Congressional representatives, Michael Burgess,

Republican of Texas, and Gwen Moore, Democrat of Wisconsin.

It was put forward just as Russia prepares to host soccer's

World Cup, which starts Thursday. That sporting event will be

the nation's biggest since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where one

of the most elaborate doping ploys in history took place.

The bill, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, takes its name

from Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran Russia's

antidoping laboratory for 10 years before he spoke out about

the state-sponsored cheating he had helped carry out--most

notoriously in Sochi.

At those Games, Dr. Rodchenkov said, he concealed

widespread drug use among Russia's top Olympians by tampering

with more than 100 urine samples with the help of Russia's

Federal Security Service.

Investigations commissioned by international sports

regulators confirmed his account and concluded that Russia

had cheated across competitions and years, tainting the

performance of more than 1,000 athletes. In early 2017,

American intelligence officials concluded that Russia's

meddling in the 2016 American election had been, in part, a

form of retribution for the Olympic doping scandal, whose

disclosures Russian officials blamed on the United States.

Nations including Germany, France, Italy, Kenya and Spain

have established criminal penalties for sports doping

perpetrated within their borders. Russia, too, passed a law

in 2017 that made it a crime to assist or coerce doping,

though no known charges have been brought under that law to

date.

Under the proposed American law, criminal penalties for

offenders would include a prison term of up to five years as

well as fines that could stretch to $250,000 for individuals

and $1 million for organizations.

``We could have real change if people think they could

actually go to jail for this,'' said Jim Walden, a lawyer for

Dr. Rodchenkov, who met with the lawmakers as they considered

the issue in recent months. ``I think it will have a

meaningful impact on coaches and athletes if they realize

they might not be able to travel outside of their country for

fear of being arrested.''

The legislation also authorizes civil actions for doping

fraud, giving athletes who may have been cheated in

competitions--as well as corporations acting as sponsors--the

right to sue in federal court to recover damages from people

who may have defrauded competitions.

Ms. Jackson Lee cited the American runner Alysia Montano,

who placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2012 Summer

Olympics. Two Russian women who placed first and third in

that race were later disqualified for doping, elevating Ms.

Montano years later. ``She had rightfully finished third,

which would have earned her a bronze medal,'' Ms. Jackson Lee

said, noting the financial benefits and sponsorships Ms.

Montano could have captured.

The bill would establish a window of seven years for

criminal actions and 10 years for civil lawsuits. It also

seeks to protect whistle-blowers from retaliation, making it

illegal to take ``adverse action'' against a person because

he or she has disclosed information about doping fraud.

Dr. Rodchenkov, who has lived in the United States since

fall 2015, has been criminally charged in Russia after he

publicly deconstructed the cheating he said he carried out on

orders from a state minister.

``While he was complicit in Russia's past bad acts, Dr.

Rodchenkov regrets his past role in Russia's state-run doping

program and seeks to atone for it by aiding the effort to

clean up international sports and to curb the corruption

rampant in Russia,'' Ms. Jackson Lee said, calling Tuesday's

bill ``an important step to stemming the tide of Russian

corruption in sport and restoring confidence in international

competition.''

Mr. Speaker, join me in supporting the RADA bill.

I thank Isabella Belcher and the OSCE staff.

Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced H.R. 6067, the Rodchenkov Anti- Doping Act (``RADA'') because in the realm of international sports, it has become almost commonplace for too many athletes to yield to the temptation of bridging the gap between their own skill and the pinnacle of athletic achievement by resorting to performance enhancing drugs.

And to conceal this fall from grace, cheaters are employing increasingly sophisticated modes of masking the use of any proscribed drugs.

The United States has a large role to play in ferreting out corruption in international sports.

Not only do U.S. athletes lose out on millions in sponsorships, but when a U.S. company spends millions to create a marketing campaign around an athlete, only to have that athlete later implicated in a doping fraud scandal, the damage to that company's brand can cost tens of millions.

This has been the story of Alysia Montafio, a U.S. runner who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics games in London and placed fifth place in the 800 meters behind two Russian women finishing first and third.

These women were later found to have engaged in doping fraud by the World Anti-Doping Agency, meaning that Ms. Montano had rightfully finished third, which would have earned her a bronze medal.

Ms. Montano estimates that doping fraud cost her `maybe half a million dollars, if you look at rollovers and bonuses, and that's without outside sponsorship maybe coming in.'

She adds, `That's not why you're doing it, but you still deserve it.' She certainly does. Until now, defrauded U.S. athletes and companies have had little recourse against doping fraud.

A recent article published by The New York Times titled ``U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions'' references the RADA as a step in the right direction toward criminalizing doping in international sports.

The RADA is an important step to stemming the tide of Russian corruption in sport and restoring confidence in international competition.

This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, undermines international athletic competition and is often connected to more nefarious actions by state actors.

This is why it is necessary for Congress to enact H.R. 6067, the bipartisan Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (``RADA'' Act)

The legislation I have introduced is bipartisan, and bears the name of courageous whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a valiant man who revealed the true extent of the complex state-run doping scheme which permitted Russia to excel in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and which resulted in its ban from the 2018 Olympic Games.

While he was complicit in Russia's state-run doping program, Dr. Rodchenkov regrets his role and seeks to atone for it by aiding the effort to clean up international sports and to curb the rampant corruption within Russia.

The RADA Act is a serious step towards cracking down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in major international competitions because it establishes criminal penalties and civil remedies for doping fraud.

A number of other nations, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and Spain, have embraced criminal sanctions for doping fraud violations and it is time for the United States to be added to this list.

Doping fraud in major international competitions--like the Olympics, the World Cup and the Tour de France--is often linked with corruption, bribery and money laundering.

It is not just victory that criminals engaged in doping fraud snatch away from clean athletes--athletes depend on prize money and sponsorships to sustain their livelihoods.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I introduced H.R. 6067, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (``RADA'') because in the realm of international sports, it has become almost commonplace for too many athletes to yield to the temptation of bridging the gap between their own skill and the pinnacle of athletic achievement by resorting to performance enhancing drugs.

And to conceal this fall from grace, cheaters are employing increasingly sophisticated modes of masking the use of any proscribed drugs.

This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, undermines international athletic competition and is often connected to more nefarious actions by state actors.

This is why it is necessary for Congress to enact H.R. 6067, the bipartisan Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (``RADA'' Act)

The legislation I have introduced is bipartisan, and bears the name of courageous whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a valiant man who revealed the true extent of the

complex state-run doping scheme which permitted Russia to excel in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and which resulted in its ban from the 2018 Olympic Games.

While he was complicit in Russia's state-run doping program, Dr. Rodchenkov regrets his role and seeks to atone for it by aiding the effort to clean up international sports and to curb the rampant corruption within Russia.

The RADA Act is a serious step towards cracking down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in major international competition because it establishes criminal penalties and civil remedies for doping fraud.

A number of other nations, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and Spain, have embraced criminal sanctions for doping fraud violations and it is time for the United States to be added to this list.

Doping fraud in major international competitions--like the Olympics, the World Cup and the Tour de France--is often linked with corruption, bribery and money laundering.

It is not just victory that criminals engaged in doping fraud snatch away from clean athletes--athletes depend on prize money and sponsorships to sustain their livelihoods.

The United States has a large role to play in ferreting out corruption in international sports.

Not only do U.S. athletes lose out on millions in sponsorships, but when a U.S. company spends millions to create a marketing campaign around an athlete, only to have that athlete later implicated in a doping fraud scandal, the damage to that company's brand can cost tens of millions.

This has been the story of Alysia Montano, a U.S. runner who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics games in London and placed fifth place in the 800 meters behind two Russian women finishing first and third.

These women were later found to have engaged in doping fraud by the World Anti-Doping Agency, meaning that Ms. Montano had rightfully finished third, which would have earned her a bronze medal.

Ms. Montano estimates that doping fraud cost her `maybe half a million dollars, if you look at rollovers and bonuses, and that's without outside sponsorship maybe coming in.'

She adds, `That's not why you're doing it, but you still deserve it.' She certainly does. Until now, defrauded U.S. athletes and companies have had little recourse against doping fraud.

A recent article published by The New York Times titled ``U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions'' references the RADA as a step in the right direction toward criminalizing doping in international sports.

The RADA is an important step to stemming the tide of Russian corruption in sport and restoring confidence in international competition.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the New York Times article published June 12, 2018 entitled ``U.S. Lawmakers Seek To Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions'', which cites RADA as a step in the right direction toward criminalizing doping in international sports.

[From the New York Times, June 12, 2018]

U.S. Lawmakers Seek To Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions

(By Rebecca R. Ruiz)

United States lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward

criminalizing doping in international sports, introducing a

bill in the House that would attach prison time to the use,

manufacturing or distribution of performance-enhancing drugs

in global competitions.

The legislation, inspired by the Russian doping scandal,

would echo the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it

illegal to bribe foreign officials to gain a business

advantage. The statute would be the first of its kind with

global reach, empowering American prosecutors to act on

doping violations abroad, and to file fraud charges of a

different variety than those the Justice Department brought

against top international soccer officials in 2015.

Although American leagues like Major League Baseball would

not be affected by the legislation, which would apply only to

competitions among countries, it could apply to a league's

athletes when participating in global events like the Ryder

Cup, the Davis Cup or the World Baseball Classic.

The law would establish America's jurisdiction over

international sports events, even those outside of the United

States, if they include at least three other nations, with at

least four American athletes participating or two American

companies acting as sponsors. It would also enhance the

ability of cheated athletes and corporate sponsors to seek

damages, expanding the window of time during which civil

lawsuits could be filed.

To justify the United States' broader jurisdiction over

global competitions, the House bill invokes the United

States' contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the

global regulator of drugs in sports. At $2.3 million, the

United States' annual contribution is the single largest of

any nation. ``Doping fraud in major international

competitions also effectively defrauds the United States,''

the bill states.

The lawmakers behind the bill were instrumental in the

creation of the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which gave the government

the right to freeze financial assets and impose visa

restrictions on Russian nationals accused of serious human

rights violations and corruption. On Tuesday, the lawmakers

framed their interest in sports fraud around international

relations and broader networks of crime that can accompany

cheating.

``Doping fraud is a crime in which big money, state assets

and transnational criminals gain advantage and honest

athletes and companies are defrauded,'' said Sheila Jackson

Lee, Democrat of Texas, who introduced the legislation on

Tuesday. ``This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, has

the ability to undermine international relations, and is

often connected to more nefarious actions by state actors.''

Along with Ms. Jackson Lee, the bill was sponsored by two

other Congressional representatives, Michael Burgess,

Republican of Texas, and Gwen Moore, Democrat of Wisconsin.

It was put forward just as Russia prepares to host soccer's

World Cup, which starts Thursday. That sporting event will be

the nation's biggest since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where one

of the most elaborate doping ploys in history took place.

The bill, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, takes its name

from Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran Russia's

antidoping laboratory for 10 years before he spoke out about

the state-sponsored cheating he had helped carry out--most

notoriously in Sochi. At those Games, Dr. Rodchenkov said, he

concealed widespread drug use among Russia's top Olympians by

tampering with more than 100 urine samples with the help of

Russia's Federal Security Service.

Investigations commissioned by international sports

regulators confirmed his account and concluded that Russia

had cheated across competitions and years, tainting the

performance of more than 1,000 athletes. In early 2017,

American intelligence officials concluded that Russia's

meddling in the 2016 American election had been, in part, a

form of retribution for the Olympic doping scandal, whose

disclosures Russian officials blamed on the United States.

Nations including Germany, France, Italy, Kenya and Spain

have established criminal penalties for sports doping

perpetrated within their borders. Russia, too, passed a law

in 2017 that made it a crime to assist or coerce doping,

though no known charges have been brought under that law to

date.

Under the proposed American law, criminal penalties for

offenders would include a prison term of up to five years as

well as fines that could stretch to $250,000 for individuals

and $1 million for organizations.

``We could have real change if people think they could

actually go to jail for this,'' said Jim Walden, a lawyer for

Dr. Rodchenkov, who met with the lawmakers as they considered

the issue in recent months. ``I think it will have a

meaningful impact on coaches and athletes if they realize

they might not be able to travel outside of their country for

fear of being arrested.''

The legislation also authorizes civil actions for doping

fraud, giving athletes who may have been cheated in

competitions--as well as corporations acting as sponsors--the

right to sue in federal court to recover damages from people

who may have defrauded competitions.

Ms. Jackson Lee cited the American runner Alysia Montano,

who placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2012 Summer

Olympics. Two Russian women who placed first and third in

that race were later disqualified for doping, elevating Ms.

Montano years later. ``She had rightfully finished third,

which would have earned her a bronze medal,'' Ms. Jackson Lee

said, noting the financial benefits and sponsorships Ms.

Montano could have captured.

The bill would establish a window of seven years for

criminal actions and 10 years for civil lawsuits. It also

seeks to protect whistle-blowers from retaliation, making it

illegal to take ``adverse action'' against a person because

he or she has disclosed information about doping fraud.

Dr. Rodchenkov, who has lived in the United States since

fall 2015, has been criminally charged in Russia after he

publicly deconstructed the cheating he said he carried out on

orders from a state minister.

``While he was complicit in Russia's past bad acts, Dr.

Rodchenkov regrets his past role in Russia's state-run doping

program and seeks to atone for it by aiding the effort to

clean up international sports and to curb the corruption

rampant in Russia,'' Ms. Jackson Lee said, calling Tuesday's

bill ``an important step to stemming the tide of Russian

corruption in sport and restoring confidence in international

competition.''