LONDON, Nov 29: Gymnastics, wrestling and volleyball were among five Olympic sports cited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for failing to implement consistent out-of-competition testing programmes.

Handball and modern pentathlon were also described as falling short in complying with the World Anti-Doping Code, which was approved in 2003 and sets out drug-testing rules across all sports and countries.

The findings were submitted in a “code compliance” report to the WADA executive committee and foundation board last weekend in Montreal. The report has now been published on the agency’s website.

The world volleyball federation said on Friday it has since come into compliance.

While sports which fail to comply with the code risk being excluded from the Olympics, WADA has extended the deadline for six months to give federations and national anti-doping agencies (NADOs) more time to come into line.

“There was a strong view expressed particularly by sport that one last concerted effort should be undertaken for the smaller sports federations and NADOs to become compliant,” WADA President John Fahey said in a speech to European Union sports ministers in Biarritz, France.

“There was a clear understanding ... that no further extensions of time should be given for the report to be finalized. During the next few months, WADA will continue to assist all organizations to ensure that they become compliant.”

WADA has been monitoring compliance with the code since its adoption in 2003. Signatories are required to accept, implement and enforce the rules and policies, which include provisions for out-of-competition testing programmes and doping sanctions.

WADA has no power to take sanctions against non-compliant bodies, leaving that to the International Olympic Committee. Under the IOC rules, any sports which don’t apply the doping code face expulsion from the Olympic programme.

“All IFs [international federations] that are not compliant have until May to take the necessary measures and the IOC is confident that they will do so,” IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said on Friday.

The international volleyball federation (FIVB) issued a statement on Friday saying it had now met WADA’s demands to improve out-of-competition testing and has been removed from the non-compliance list. It plans to implement a global programme of no-notice testing next year.

“We are absolutely in line with all the rules,” FIVB spokesman Fabrizio Rossini said.

Modern pentathlon’s governing body, UIPM, said it too had met WADA requests to step up out-of-competition tests.

“We definitely are [code-compliant] already and WADA have confirmed that we will be,” UPIM communications manager Raelene Butler said.

The wrestling federation, FILA, needs to make “minimal” changes to comply with WADA’s standards and should have no problem meeting the May deadline, spokesman Carlos Roy said.

The gymnastics federation, FIG, said it endorses WADA activities “totally and without any reservation.”

“In order to become compliant with the new WADA code, the FIG needs to execute [its] own out-of-competition doping tests in addition to the those conducted by WADA,” media operations coordinator Meike Behrensen said. This will start “in the next couple of months,” she added.

Officials at the International Handball Federation could not be contacted at the organisation’s Basel, Switzerland, headquarters.

Among other Olympic sports, WADA said boxing, equestrian, basketball, bobsled, ice hockey, shooting, table tennis and curling have implemented “limited” testing programmes. But the agency said they were not deemed non-compliant because they have committed to establish full testing programmes in 2009.

WADA also cited 16 sports recognised by the IOC but not on the Olympic programme for coming up short, including bowling, cricket and roller sports. Roller sports is one of the seven events seeking inclusion in the 2016 Olympics.—AP