12 – 13 March 2024 | Lausanne, Switzerland
We are bringing the news of the second day of the WADA Annual Symposium, which saw the attendance of the IKA Delegation led by the IKA Vice President. Yesterday, during the workshops, many questions that IKA needed an answer for were answered in detail.
Today, the IKA Delegation started the day at 9.00 am with a Plenary Session in AUDITORIUM A, which was about WADA’s partnerships with international organizations. Over the years, WADA has developed strategic partnerships with selected international organizations with which we exchange privileged information to improve anti-doping work and anchor our anti-doping activities in global societal themes (e.g., drugs of abuse in society and risks to public health, emerging drugs, falsified drugs); and/or, to enhance anti-doping research, develop education programs, etc. This session will discuss the benefits of establishing such partnerships, tips for identifying and developing partnerships, and ways to ensure they deliver on set objectives. Moderators for the meeting are Olivier Rabin, Senior Director, Science and Medicine, World Anti-Doping Agency; Victoria Ivanova, Senior Manager, International Partnerships, World Anti-Doping Agency and Presenters, Etty Feller, Chair, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation; Justice Tettey, Chief, Drugs, Laboratory and Scientific Services Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Director, Health and Multilateral Partnerships External Relations, World Health Organization.
Garden 5 was the location where the I&I Symposium covered the Sustainability of the EU I&I Capability and Capacity Building Project concept. Due to the success of the EU I&I project, in partnership with INTERPOL, they have decided to roll the idea out globally and create a Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN). In this session, you will learn more about this concept and other exciting topics, such as guidelines for a legal framework, the use of handheld devices to detect doping substances, and perspectives on why NADOs should invest more in I&I. Moderator: Günter Younger, Director, Intelligence & Investigations, World Anti-Doping Agency Presenters: John McLaughlin, Investigator/Trainer, World Anti-Doping Agency Mathieu Fonteneau, Consultant EU Affairs Cécile Chaussard, Associate Researcher, Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport, Université de Sherbrooke (Canada) Humaid Alameemi, Anti-Corruption Operations Coordinator, Interpol Mario Thevis, Head, Cologne Laboratory Mariam Diaby, Senior Manager, Communications and Digital Marketing, World Anti-Doping Agency Fredrik Lauritzen, Science Director, NADO Norway.
After the Break, the IKA delegation took part in GARDEN 2-3 – this Session was about “” Our education ambition” – advancing global policy while enriching regional delivery; in this session, education experts from each of WADA’s regions will present on the evolution of anti-doping education policies and programs in their region since the launch of the International Standard for Education (ISE) in 2021. They will share highlights from the 2024 Global Education Conference and the associated ‘Regional Conversations’ — discussions that will have been organized to raise awareness among decision-makers on the need for greater investment in, and prioritization of, education. In addition, the experts will facilitate discussions on the emerging themes from the ISE and Code update process. Moderator of the session: Amanda Hudson, Director, Education, World Anti-Doping Agency and Presenters: Catherine Coley, Director, Education & Prevention, NADO France (AFLD) Karri Dawson, Executive Director, Values-Based Sport, NADO Canada (CCES) Tony Cunningham, Head, Research and Policy, World Anti-Doping Agency David Sharpe, Chief Executive Officer, NADO Australia (SIA) There came the time for Work shops one was about– Workshop 5: Implementing the World Anti-Doping Code through National Legislation or Workshop 6, where we decided to join this because of the interesting subject “” Dried Blood Spot testing”” navigating the present and charting the future Since the launch of DBS, there has been considerable interest from ADOs to integrate this new matrix into their testing programs. ADOs have requested further guidance on how to incorporate DBS collection into their TDPs as well as information regarding which prohibited substances can be detected; which labs can analyse DBS; which sample collection equipment to use; and what it would mean for their testing budgets to implement DBS. This session will provide ADOs with the following: decision-making tools for establishing a DBS testing program; guidance on how to maximize the effectiveness of DBS collections; and information regarding the latest analytical methods, current DBS research and the future of DBS. Moderator: James Sclater, Senior Manager, Strategic Projects, World Anti-Doping Agency Presenters: Matt Fedoruk, Chief Science Officer, NADO United States of America (USADA) Léonie Egli, Senior Manager, Science and Medicine Director, World Anti-Doping Agency.
Back to AUDITORIUM A for session 11, which is about “Collaboration between NADOs and IFs,” particularly in the lead-up to Major Events, NADOs and International Federations (IFs) need to work hand in hand to ensure athletes are tested consistently to maintain a level playing field. This is particularly crucial in the lead-up to Major Events. This session will discuss best practices for collaboration between NADOs and IFs and pre-Games coordination, particularly regarding testing.
This Session was the main topic related to the International Kurash Association as the IF and our collaboration with them before, during and after competitions.
This session’s presenters were Ming-Jung Seo, Director of testing at NADO Korea (KADA); Matteo Vallini, Head of international Federations and major Events at the International Testing Agency; Lucie Rothauer, Prevention Manager at the International Biathlon Union; and Matthew Koop, Manager of intelligence and Results at NADO Canada.
GARDEN 1A—The Ask the Experts session followed the same procedure as yesterday but with different questions. Experts and WADA staff members were available to answer any questions we had on the following topics: the Athlete’s Biological Passport, data analytics, results management, and privacy.
12.00 – 13.45 was the Lunch Break, and we started at the AUDITORIUM A – 13.45 Sharp Session 12, which was about “Human Rights and anti-doping” preliminary observations of WADA’s Senior Independent Expert In this session, WADA’s Senior Independent Expert, Snežana Samardžić-Marković, will present her preliminary observations of the Agency’s Initial Human Rights Impact Assessment concerning the intersection between Human Rights and anti-doping.
Specifically, the session will highlight existing protections as well as possible measures that ADOs can take to minimize and mitigate the impacts of anti-doping policy and programs on the rights of athletes, including their right to a level playing field. Presenters, Snežana Samardžić-Marković, Senior Independent Expert, Human Rights Gaby Ahrens, Vice-Chair, WADA Athlete Council Humphrey Kayange, Member, WADA Athlete Council Iñaki Gomez, Member, WADA Athlete Council Ryan Pini, Chair, WADA Athlete Council Back to Workshop 7 in Garden 5 topic being “” Prevalence of doping in sport”” developing and implementing a doping prevalence index The session will present WADA’s Prevalence Program by introducing strategies to assess prevalence of doping in sport, specifically among elite athlete groups. ADOs will gain practical information and tools to help them evaluate the effectiveness of their anti-doping programs and improve the strategies and tactics employed to test athletes.
Finally, there was a call to action for IFs and NADOs to participate in the program. Presenters for this workshop were Nicole Sapstead, Senior Director, Anti-Doping, International Tennis Federation; Samuel Pool, Head of Insight & Innovation, NADO United Kingdom (UKAD); Andrea Petroczi, Professor, Public Health, Kingston University.
GARDEN 2-3 was the host for session 13, which was about “” Testing for beginners””) This workshop is aimed at new testing administrators of Tier 2 or Tier 3 NADOs and IFs. It will provide a high-level overview of the essential steps and processes required to develop and implement an effective testing program and outline the support resources available to assist ADOs. Presenters were Jude Ellis, Anti-Doping Manager, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Olha Zavhorodnya, Head, Department of Anti-Doping, Information, and Educational Activities, NADC, NADO Poland Alekss Ūpis, Deputy Director, NADO Latvia
After the afternoon break, once again, we were invited to AUDITORIUM A – This session topic was “Imagining the future of anti-doping research and the role of Artificial Intelligence within it” The samples and data collected in the context of doping control represent a valuable resource. With the increased sophistication of doping practices, it is essential that researchers and innovators have access to enough samples and data to develop new tools in the fight against doping in sports. Meanwhile, human dignity and trust are paramount to the ethical conduct of research and the potential integration of Artificial Intelligence. This session featured a panel of multidisciplinary experts of science, ethics and law broaching essential questions that will shape the future of anti-doping research and development. The presenters were Andréanne Morin, Member, WADA Ethics Expert Advisory Group Osquel Barroso, Senior Associate Director, Laboratories, World Anti-Doping Agency Tiia Kuurane, Director, Laboratoire suisse d’analyse du dopage Trevor Hughes, President & Chief Executive Officer, International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Last but least was Session 15, which was the final session of this symposium, and, of course, the topic was “Symposium wrap-up”, This session will summarise the key takeaways of the Symposium. Moderator: Stuart Kemp, Chief Operating Officer, World Anti-Doping Agency.