WADA President calls on Governments of the Americas to continue their support of Anti-Doping Organizations across the continent

Today, during his virtual address to the Assembly of the American Sports Council (CADE), the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Witold Bańka, highlighted the critical role that Governments play in the protection of sport’s integrity. He also pointed out the important work being carried out by Governments in the Americas region, pledged WADA’s ongoing collaboration and called on them to continue to support the National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs and RADOs) across the continent.

Attending the CADE Assembly were Sports Ministers and other senior Government representatives from the Americas. Addressing them directly, WADA’s President said: “I want to thank you for your commitment to anti-doping and your ongoing support. I urge you to continue to support your National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations to ensure that they have the necessary financial means, and to be strong ambassadors in your nations of the global mission for doping-free sport.

“Documents like the World Anti-Doping Code and the related International Standards are vitally important but they are only as good as how well they are implemented. Around the world, success in this area depends in particular on the various NADOs and RADOs. While WADA offers leadership and guidance through its various specialist departments as well as its dedicated regional offices, there is no substitute for the support they get at home from the respective public authorities. The anti-doping environment is fast moving – all Anti-Doping Organizations need to have the capacity and resources to deliver on their mandates.”

During the CADE Assembly, Mr. Bańka took the opportunity to update the Governments on a variety of topics regarding anti-doping, including: COVID-19 and how WADA and its partners are striving to minimize its impact on the global anti-doping system, particularly in the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo; WADA’s ongoing governance reforms; the Agency’s efforts to further engage athletes; and to secure additional funding to strengthen further the global anti-doping program.

The WADA President added: “In line with our 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, WADA will continue to engage and collaborate with all our partners worldwide to strengthen the World Anti-Doping Program. We are committed to building anti-doping capacity and community worldwide, and to securing the additional funding that is required to further enable doping-free sport. We are confident that with the support of our clean sport partners, including all the governments within CADE, we will continue to make a difference.”