IANS

London, Aug 3: World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chairman John Fahey said the "whereabouts" clause, which was rejected by the Indian cricket board Sunday, has been accepted worldwide by 571 international sporting organisations.

Addressing the security concerns of the Indian cricketers, Fahey said the 'whereabouts' information is "completely secure" with them.

"The initial code which was accepted in 2003 has been accepted by 571 sporting organisations throughout the world. They range from national sporting federations to international communities and sporting federations. It has been approved by 191 countries and also by the UNESCO," Fahey said.

"Out-of-competition testing is the only way to eliminate cheats and it is possible only if the athlete's whereabouts are known. The information of the whereabouts of the athletes is completely secure with us."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sunday rejected the controversial anti-doping clause that makes it mandatory for players to make themselves available for out-of-competition tests.

The BCCI strongly backed the players, saying that the "whereabouts" clause is an "invasion into the privacy of an individual".

"Cricket should be free from doping. BCCI does not have any objection to that. However, BCCI felt that players should be tested during the series or during the camps. They cannot be tested when they are not playing cricket," BCCI president Shashank Manohar said after an emergency meeting of the working committee, which was also attended by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and ICC officials.

The decision of the BCCI puts it on a collision course with the ICC, which is a signatory to WADA's anti-doping norms.