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WADA President Calls for Enhanced Government Action in Fight against Doping in Sport

2009-10-28 16:02 WADA

October 26, 2009 - On the occasion of the second session of the Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport (Convention), held October 26-28 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, WADA’s President John Fahey commended governments for their commitment to the fight against doping in sport and urged them to further enhance their action in this field.

In his opening remarks at the Conference, Mr Fahey emphasized the importance of the governments’ role in the fight against doping in sport. He highlighted a number of areas, such as combating rogue manufacturing, marketing and trafficking of illegal substances, where governments can act with powers which the sport movement does not have.

But WADA’s President cautioned that enhanced government commitment is just the beginning. “If we are to succeed in our quest to rid sport of doping, all governments need to ensure that they have laws and regulations in place to combat the trafficking and supply of illegal substances,” he said. “All governments can do more in areas such as anti-doping education, support of anti-doping research and support of their National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations.”

To date, the Convention has been ratified by 128 of the 193 UNESCO Member States, covering approximately 90% of the world population.

Among various issues on its agenda, the Conference of Parties will examine the administration of the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport, created by UNESCO in application of the Convention, and the electronic system set up by UNESCO to monitor implementation of the Convention.

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