WADA announces Group 3 members selected for 2023 Athlete Council and publishes complete membership

Further to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) communication of 6 September 2022 regarding the Agency’s new 20-member Athlete Council, WADA is pleased to announce the final seven members (referred to as Group 3), as selected by the Athlete Council Appointment Panel.

Today, WADA is also publishing the complete membership of the Athlete Council (effective 1 January 2023), which is composed of athletes’ representatives chosen by athletes and grouped as follows:

• Group 1: Five athletes appointed by the International Olympic Committee’s and International Paralympic Committee’s Athlete Commissions;
• Group 2: Eight athletes elected by the Athlete Commissions of International Federations (IFs); and
• Group 3: Seven other athletes, to be selected by the Athlete Council Appointment Panel made up by a majority of athletes, to fill skills and diversity gaps.

WADA President Witold Bańka said: “On behalf of WADA, I would like to extend our congratulations to the final seven members that have been appointed to the Agency’s Athlete Council. The Appointment Panel worked hard to ensure all Group 3 applicants were given careful consideration as regards skills and diversity, with the ultimate goal of having as representative a body as possible. We are pleased to share that the Council’s members, more than half of which are women, hail from 19 countries from six continents, represent 17 sports, including five Paralympic sports, and come from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds. We look forward to working with the Council to Raise the Game for athletes around the world.”

The seven Group 3 athletes selected by the Appointment Panel are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.

In total, 54 athletes applied to the Athlete Council, 50 of which were deemed eligible as per the criteria outlined in Article 3 of WADA’s Athlete Council Appointment Procedure (Appointment Procedure). After reviewing all applications, the Appointment Panel conducted 18 athlete interviews and consulted with the WADA President. They also conducted background and reference checks as part of their rigorous process before making their final selections. To conclude the process, the Appointment Panel provided a detailed report to WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) and Foundation Board (Board) as well as Groups 1 and 2 of the Athlete Council, as required by the Appointment Procedure.

Skills and Diversity Criteria

The purpose of the appointment process for Group 3 members was to fill skills and diversity gaps not otherwise sufficiently provided for by Groups 1 and 2 and thereby ensure that the Athlete Council can effectively represent athletes and conduct its work. More information regarding the skills and diversity criteria can be found in September’s call for applicants.

Athlete Council Appointment Panel

The Appointment Panel was composed of three voting members and two non-voting members:

• Two members from the Athlete Council; one elected by Group 1 among its members and one elected by Group 2 among its members.
• Three (independent) members of WADA’s Nominations Committee appointed by the Nominations Committee, one of whom was entitled to a vote, and two of whom were non-voting members, as permitted by the Appointment Procedure.

Process to elect Chair and Members for the Executive Committee and Foundation Board

In March 2023, Athlete Council members will meet in person while in Lausanne, Switzerland for WADA’s Annual Symposium, at which point they will elect the various positions they are required to. This includes their Chair, who will fill an ExCo seat, and two representatives to sit on the Board, including an athlete coming from Paralympic Sport.

For more information on the Athlete Council, please visit WADA’s dedicated webpage.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to direct them to governance@wada-ama.org