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Veteran British sports administrator and former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Craig Reedie has died at the age of 84, officials announced on Monday.
Reedie, who also played a key role in securing London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, was described as a “true gentleman and champion of clean sport” by current WADA president Witold Banka.
In a statement, Banka said Reedie would be remembered as a man of integrity who believed in the constant pursuit of excellence in sport, a principle he carried into his leadership of the global anti-doping body.
“With Sir Craig’s passing, we have lost a true gentleman and clean sport champion.
“He was a man of great integrity and, as a sportsman at heart, he believed that sport shows us it is always possible to do better, belief he applied to his leadership of WADA.”
Reedie’s career in sport spanned decades. He competed internationally in badminton for Great Britain and later served as president of the International Badminton Federation, where he successfully advocated for the sport’s inclusion in the Olympic programme at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
He went on to chair the British Olympic Association between 1992 and 2005, later serving as WADA president from 2014 to 2019, and also holding a position as vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.
During his tenure at WADA, Reedie faced criticism from some athlete groups over the organisation’s decision to lift a three-year ban on Russian athletes following allegations of state-sponsored doping linked to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Despite the controversy, he is widely credited for his instrumental role in securing the London 2012 Olympics, at a time when Paris was widely seen as the frontrunner.
Former London 2012 bid chairman Sebastian Coe paid tribute, describing Reedie as a mentor, advisor, and close friend.
