Cheating, doping: How Volleyball has forgotten ethics and

Lausanne 20 March 2007) Founder and president of the International
Ethics Commission of Freiburg (IECF), the oldest institution of its kind in
Europe, Professor Honoris Causa Hans - Peter Graf, equally presides the
« World Sports – Ethics Commission » an independent society holding
numerous mandates in matters of Ethics, such as that of the WVBF
(World Volleyball and Beach Volleyball Federation). As such, out of a
passion for sports, and because he shares the ethical and democratic
approach, Prof. Graf has committed himself to enquire on the morality of
practices in the world of sports and of the Olympic movement.
At the end of several months of research, interviews, and meetings, Prof.
Graf wishes to communicate to the media, to the institutions regulating
international sport, and thus to the greater public, the reprehensible acts
that from the point of view of ethics and the battle against doping, reveal
the dangers that stalk the sport of Volleyball, and which tarnish the
enthusiasm and the commitment of those who practice it, regardless of
their origin or the degree of their performance.
The criminal acts in question have been committed by the Volleyball
Federation of the Dominican Republic with the complicity of a high
personality of the FIVB, in the person of its President, Mr. Ruben Acosta.
These actions are constitute more than 30 violations committed in five
years and reveal the existence at the heart of this Volleyball Federation, of
a policy that is based on pursuing results at any cost without analyzing
their consequences or the essential right of each athlete to participate in
competitions with equal conditions for all.
Doping at the 2006 FIVB World Championships at Tokyo
Prof. Graf and his commission denounces in this way, the violation
committed by Ruben Acosta, President of the FIVB, and Cristobal Marte,
Second Executive Vice President of the FIVB, the former President of the
Organizational Committee of the 2006 FIVB Women’s World
Championships in Japan, and the latter member of the Organizational
Committee, during the recent 2006 FIVB Women’s World Championships
in Japan, of principles of the WADA as well as the fundamental and ethical
principles of the IOC.
It is effectively established that the 1st of November, 2006, after the match
in which the Dominican Team played against China, the female player
Eveline Carrera was selected for a doping control which resulted positive
for the anabolic steroid « Chlostebol ». The athlete as well as the leaders
of the Dominican Team did not request to have a new control of sample
« B » done, thus admitting that the first control was in fact positive. It has
also been demonstrated that Mr. Cristobal Marte was overzealous in
convincing his friend Mr. Ruben Acosta, President of the FIVB, not to
sanction the female player but rather the team doctor, Mrs. Maria Josefina
Cordero who, it is supposedly said, forced the female player, Miss
Carrera, to use a special cream to treat a skin rash. Mr. Ruben Acosta,
who is not at his first violation to the ethical rules of the IOC , (see
decisions of the ethics commission of the IOC of May 2004, various letters
of the IOC) accepted not to sanction the female player Eveline Carrera,
but instead to sanction the team doctor by a lifetime suspension.
The repeated scandal of falsified passports
Elsewhere, in a second affair, Ramon Alexis Garcia, President of the
Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation, registered the following women
players to participate in the 2006 Women’s Junior Continental
Championships not withstanding the fact that their age exceeded the
maximum regulatory age. It involves the athletes Ruth Reyes, Cindy
Rondon, Gina Mambru and Bethania de la Cruz.
Cristobal Marte, Vice President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, authorized in his capacity as President of the NORCECA
Confederation, as well as of the Control Committee, the participation of
the four athletes of the Dominican Republic having been pointed out that
the latter was signing documents in which the real age of the athletes was
clearly indicated. The Dominican Republic Women’s Junior Team
recruiter used the falsified passports of the four women players so that
they could participate in the 2006 Women’s Junior Continental
Championships and thus obtain their qualification to the World
Championships of this category in the year 2007.
According to a similar scheme, Ramon Garcia, President of the Dominican
Republic Volleyball Federation, registered the athletes Ana Lara, Rossy
Burgos, Sidarka Nunez for the 2006 Junior World Championships having
knowledge that the age of these latter athletes exceeded the regulatory
age.
Cristobal Marte, Vice President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, in his capacity of « Team Manager » of the National Women’s
Junior Team, as well as in his capacity as Second Executive Vice-
President of the FIVB, deceived the Control Committee by presenting
falsified documents that attested that three of the Dominican women
players were eligible to participate in the 2005 Women’s Junior World
Championships.
The Dominican Republic Women’s Junior Team used falsified passports
to participate in the 2005 Women’s Junior World Championships.
By going back in time, Prof. Graf’s enquiry furthermore established that
Ramon Garcia, President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, registered the athletes Rosa Medrano, Rossy Burgos, Ana
Lara and Sidarka Nunez, to participate in the 2002 Girl’s Youth
Continental Championships however knowing that their age exceeded the
regulatory age.
Cristobal Marte, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, authorized also, in his capacity as President of the
NORCECA Confederation and of the Control Committee, the participation
of these four Dominican athletes when at the time they exceeded the
regulatory age. The leader of the Dominican Republic Delegation used
their falsified passports to allow the athletes to participate in the 2002
Girl’s Youth Continental Championships.
Another similar example : Ramon Garcia, President of the Dominican
Republic Volleyball Federation, registered the athletes Juana Savinon,
Margarita Suero, Grechi Pérez and Kenia Moreta to participate in the
2001 Women’s Junior World Championships organized by his country,
knowing that their age exceeded the regulatory age.
Cristobal Marte, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, in his capacity as « Team Manager » of the Women’s Junior
National Team and also in his capacity as Second Executive Vice-
President of the FIVB, and President of the Control Committee, deceived
the Control Committee by presenting falsified documents so that the
Dominican athletes whose age exceeded the regulatory age, could
nevertheless participate in the 2001 Women’s Junior World
Championships.
Nelson Ramirez, Secretary of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation and of the NORCECA Confederation, abused his office at the
heart of the Control Committee and of the Organizational Committee so
that the Dominican Republic women players whose age exceeded the
regulatory age, could participate without a problem in the 2001 Women’s
Junior World Championships.
The Dominican Republic Women’s Junior Team used falsified passports
to participate in the 2001 Women’s Junior World Championships.
And finally, Ramon Garcia, President of the Dominican Republic Volley
Federation, registered the women players Iris Santos, Yeimi German,
Grechi Pérez, Johanna Luna, Laritza Reyes, Susan Silverio and Kenia
Moreta, to participate in the 2001 Girl’s Youth World Championships
knowing that the age of these latter athletes exceeded the regulatory age.
Cristobal Marte, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball
Federation, in his capacity as « Team Manger » of the National Youth
Team, and in his capacity as Second Executive Vice-President of the
FIVB, deceived the Control Committee by presenting falsified documents
to allow the Dominican players to participate in the 2001 Girl’s Youth
World Championships, when their age was not acceptable nor in
accordance to the regulations.
The Dominican Republic Girl’s Youth Team used falsified passports to
participate in the 2001 Girl’s Youth World Championships.
Emblematic cheating
These are sad practices that complete a history of emblematic cheating, of
evils that eat away at Volleyball, governed by Norceca and the FIVB. At
the end of the 90s, within the Volleyball arena of the Dominican Republic,
we find a girl named Carmen Caso, a young girl with ideal conditions, but
without experience, who will to be immediately integrated into the national
teams.
Recently, and in 2001, before the participation of the Dominican Republic
in the Girl’s Youth World Championships for which the Dominican
Republic qualified. Miss Sierra was offered the possibility of participating
in one of the national teams.
Unfortunately for her, this possibility was not given to her because she
was about to be 20 years old, as this was to be 4 weeks after the
authorized closing limit.
It seems that this cause of regulatory disqualification from participation
was not respected by the sports leaders of Dominican Republic Volleyball
who have the habit of doing anything and everything they can to violate
the current regulations in use.
Thus begins the history of one of the greatest secrets of Dominican
Volleyball with the arrival and entering in the lists of Alexandra Caso
Sierra, the younger sister of Carmen Rosa and without having had the
least competence or experience in high-level Volleyball competitions.
Alexandra Caso Sierra would figure as the protagonist of an adventure
that surpasses all limits of the imagination and that very well clashes with
every foundational principle of organized Volleyball.
Respecting the political practice of the Dominican Federation, its
President, Ramon Alexis Garcia registers Carmen Rosa Caso Sierra to
participate in the Girl’s Youth World Championships with the first name of
her younger sister, Alexandra Caso Sierra who at that time would have
been 14 years old. It is thus that the Dominican Federation allowed the
older sister to participate in the competitions in Croatia with a false first
name, where the maximum age for participation should have been 19
years old.
It was thus and henceforth, that Carmen Rosa’s first name was in fact
changed to Alexandra thus violating existing regulations. And so in 2002,
and being 21 years old, Carmen Sierra participated in the Girl’s Youth
Tournaments of Salt Lake and played with her team in the Continental
Youth Championships.
In 2003 and still using the false first name, she participated in the Pan-
American Games, in the Continental Olympic Senior Qualification
Competitions, and then in 2004 in the Grand Prix and in the
intercontinental competitions which would qualify them to the Olympic
games in Athens.
When in 2006, the younger sister Caso Sierra turned 19 years old, Mr.
Cristobal Marte, Manager of the National Team and of the Dominican
Republic Grand Prix, decided to give back to Carmen Rosa her first name
and the inherent rights of her age. It is highly surprising that the
International Volleyball Federation, proprietor of an extremely important
database concerning its female players, never noticed anything with
respect to this young girl’s 14 years old and who participated in the 2001
World Championships when the required age should not have been more
than 19 years old and on the other hand, that her 25 year-old sister played
in a « Grand Prix » without ever having participated previously in any
international competition whatsoever.
Appeal to the WADA and the Ethics Commission of the IOC
Before such serious facts, the president of the « world sport – ethics
commission » has chosen to reach out to the leaders of the World Antidoping
Agency and the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic
Committee, so that Volleyball, a formative discipline and carrier of hope to
numerous nations, would at last be freed of such practices. It is with
confidence that Professor Graf and those who stand up for ethics and
moral values in sports, await the response of these two great institutions
that today are indispensable for the correct governing of sports on a world
scale.
Professor Graf’s contact details:
Phone: +41 79 484 1717
Email: hp.graf@we-ec.org
Website: www.ws-ec.org