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WADA shares successes of SuperSport education grants for African Regional Anti-Doping Organizations

supersport grant

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to share the successes of the education grants that have been made available to the Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (RADOs) in Africa as part of WADA’s sponsorship agreement with Africa-based broadcaster SuperSport. 

The agreement with SuperSport, which was signed in April 2022, has facilitated the Agency’s efforts in raising awareness of clean sport and delivering values-based education programs throughout the African continent. This has notably been achievable via the funds provided through the agreement, which are invested in various activities in Africa, including the development and delivery of education and prevention programs by the RADOs.

Director of WADA’s Africa Office, Rodney Swigelaar, said: “WADA’s partnership with SuperSport continues to have a marked impact on education initiatives in various regions across the African continent. These grants are providing RADOs the support to foster and promote strong sporting values, specifically to a younger demographic of athletes and their entourages. We have already seen tangible outcomes as a result of these grants and look forward to continuing to collaborate with SuperSport and African RADOs on future activities that are relevant and innovative in the years to come." 

The first project was implemented by the Africa Zone VI RADO at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U18/U20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia from 29 April to 3 May 2023. Thanks to the funding provided by the SuperSport grant, the RADO was able to set up an education booth where anti-doping material was made available to participating athletes. Participants also had the opportunity to attempt quizzes and win Play True paraphernalia.

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Manager of the Africa Zone VI RADO, Andrew Kamanga, said: “Without access to the SuperSport education grant, we would not have been able to produce such an impactful outreach program at the CAA U18/U20 Championships. Over 700 athletes and support staff interacted with our education team at the booth during the championships, a number that would have been very difficult to attain had we tried to reach them in each of their individual regions.”

Another example of the SuperSport grant assisting a RADO in setting up an on-site education awareness campaign was the 2023 Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa (ANOCA) African Beach Games, which took place in Hammamet, Tunisia between 24-30 June 2023. The second edition of this event hosted 50 countries and over 1,300 participants. Thanks to the support provided by the SuperSport grant, the North Africa RADO supported the education program of the Tunisia National Anti-Doping Organization (ANAD) and was able to produce anti-doping awareness material and promote clean sport values through traditional and social media and via an on-site booth to facilitate personal interactions delivered by experienced education officers.

The remaining three Africa RADOs will be implementing their own awareness activities in the coming months, including the Africa Zone V RADO which is working to setup an anti-doping education program at the 20th edition of the Federation of East Africa Secondary School Sports Association Games, which will take place at the end of August 2023.

More about RADOs and WADA’s RADO Program

RADOs are regional organizations designated by member countries to coordinate and manage delegated areas of their national anti-doping programs, which may include:

  • Adopting and implementing anti-doping rules
  • Planning and collecting samples
  • Managing results
  • Reviewing Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)
  • Conducting hearings
  • Coordinating education programs at a regional level

There are currently 12 RADOs bringing together 119 countries, across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and Oceania.

Learn more about WADA’s RADO Program on our website.