WADA: Indonesia, Thailand MotoGPs can go ahead despite 'non-compliance'

The upcoming Indonesian and Thai rounds of the MotoGP and WorldSBK championships can still go ahead as planned, the World Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed to Crash.net.

Last week, WADA declared the National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO) for both countries were among those ruled as being 'non-compliant' with the World Anti-Doping Code.

Indonesia's non-compliance was, "a result of non-conformities in implementing an effective testing program". Thailand's was due to, "the lack of full implementation of the 2021 version of the [WADA] Code within their legal system".

The potential significance in motorsport terms is that the listed 'consequences' of non-compliance include:

"The Signatories’ countries may not be awarded the right to host regional, continental or world championships, or events organized by Major Event Organizations, for the entire period of non-compliance."

That raised potential doubts over the Indonesian WorldSBK round due to be held at the new Mandalika circuit on November 19-21 and inaugural MotoGP race on March 20, plus Thailand's next MotoGP event scheduled at Buriram for October 2.

Reacting to the 'non-compliance' verdict, Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sport sought to calm concerns, saying: "Indonesia has not been banned so you can still do sports activities. So, please don't imagine that Indonesia cannot hold international competitions or send athletes abroad."

But since non-compliance has implications for such a wide range of sporting activities, from regional competitions to the Olympic Games, Crash.net asked WADA specifically about the upcoming WorldSBK and MotoGP rounds.

A WADA spokesperson confirmed that both Thailand and Indonesia, "are not allowed to be awarded hosting rights for new events whilst non-compliant."

However, "if events have already been awarded, then they may remain as hosts."

In other words, since both countries already had (multi-year) contracts in place for MotoGP and WorldSBK before the non-compliance ruling, the events can go ahead as planned. But no new agreements can be signed until 'reinstatement'.

While riders from Thailand and Indonesia are not directly affected, another non-compliance sanction is that the flags of the countries involved: "Will not be flown at regional, continental or world championships, or events organized by Major Event Organizations, other than at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, for the next edition of that event or until reinstatement, whichever is longer until reinstatement".

That would seem to mean that, if a Thai or Indonesian rider finishes in the top three from now until non-compliance is lifted, in any event from regional racing upwards, their national flag could not be included as part of the podium ceremony, for example.

According to WADA, 'Once a Signatory has been determined to be non-compliant, the objective is to help that Signatory to achieve Reinstatement as quickly as possible, while ensuring that the corrective actions undertaken deliver enduring Code Compliance by that Signatory.'

Sources in Thailand suggest it could take at least 3-4 months for the latest WADA Code to be incorporated into Thai law.

Indonesia's situation is expected to take longer to solve, since (along with North Korea) it refers to problems with its actual testing program, meaning: 'corrective actions will be subject to supervision by an approved third party, at the Signatories’ expense, including up to six site visits per year, with all costs to be paid in advance'.

The FIM and FIA are also signatories of the WADA Code.