ASADA boss David Sharpe says Sport Integrity Australia realignment is 'critical'

ASADA will be absorbed by Sport Integrity Australia on Wednesday following a recommendation by the Wood Review to streamline sports integrity bodies into one agency.

Now a slow moving piece of the anti-doping framework will be cast aside to speed up investigations by "at least a minimum of 30 days".

The independent anti-doping rule violation panel will be no more, cutting out a process which requires the chief executive and athlete in question to meet with the panel on numerous occasions before further deliberations.

ASADA chief executive David Sharpe will take the reins at Sport Integrity Australia and says the chance to shorten doping cases is vital.

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It comes after ASADA drew criticism about the delay in Cronulla Sharks centre Bronson Xerri's case, who tested positive to four banned substances last November, but was notified and provisionally banned two days prior to the NRL's restart in May.

The Sharks are awaiting Xerri's B sample, which was due to be tested by June 9.

"Quite often we are criticised for the time our processes take. It is a complicated process and every case is different," Sharpe said.

"There are not only delays on ASADA's side, but there are delays on the other side when a case needs to be built in response to ASADA's cases. The defence needs to build a case and bring in expert evidence.

"Certainly reducing our time frames through removing the anti-doping rule violation panel is critical in helping that."

The national anti-doping capability will be enhanced following legislative reforms by allowing officials to investigate facilitators not bound by contracts and legislation.

"We're one of the few countries in the world that has legislation that allows us to conduct investigations, so not just take a positive test and say 'you're guilty, goodbye'," Sharpe said.

"We have the ability to investigate that matter and identify if there have been influences on athletes to make those decisions. In some cases it identifies the case might be inadvertent and it helps the athlete.

"Our main goal is to understand why athletes make decisions they do when they dope. More importantly, particularly with younger athletes, who is influencing them and how do we direct our efforts towards targeting them?

"Those are the facilitators who quite often walk away, because they're not bound by the anti-doping legislation and sports contracts and policies. The ability to investigate allows us to identify those issues and better target our resources."