McDevitt has been selected as a full-time replacement at ASADA for Aurora Andruska, who resigned in February and officially leaves the organisation today, and was officially announced by Federal Minister for Health and Sport Peter Dutton at Parliament House in Canberra.

His first priority will be dealing with a series of high-profile cases involving the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL). 

McDevitt's has served in law enforcement for the past 28 years, with ACT Policing, the Australian Federal Police, Royal Solomon Islands Police and the Australian Crime Commission.

He is also a former head of CrimTrac, the national information-sharing service for Australia's police, law enforcement and national security agencies.

ASADA is currently considering if any cases should be brought against individual players in the AFL and NRL after earlier this year completing a 13-month report into the use of muscle-regeneration peptides and other banned substances.

McDevitt acknowledged that the scandal will dominate in his early days but warned that he would study the cases carefully first. 

"My very initial briefings is that we are dealing with very complex matters," he said.

"This is about careers hanging in the balance...I will bring a sense of urgency but I will not sacrifice certainty for speed.

"ASADA's reason for being is to protect Australia's sporting integrity and the health of Australia's athletes...we have to jealously guard our reputation for fair play.

"As Australians, we all love sports and we all hate cheats."

It was only due to intelligence based information that American sprinter Marion Jones was exposed as a drugs cheat, which helps explain why former policeman Ben McDevitt has been appointed new chief executive of ASADA ©Getty Images

The appointment was hailed by John Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee and a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.

"hile I do not know Mr McDevitt, his impressive background in various national and international law enforcement roles, including his time as CEO of Crim Trac and currently as Australian Crimes Commission, State Manager, Queensland and National Manager Cybercrime, positions him perfectly for the new emphasis on investigations and intelligence gathering in the fight to protect clean athletes," said Coates.

"The exposure of Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong as doping cheats did not come about through testing.

"They were exposed through investigations.

"By this appointment, Minister Peter Dutton and the Australian Government are clearly signalling their intention to continue to obtain, access and process anti-doping intelligence from all available sources."

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