The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is hosting its 2024 Annual Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Idman.biz reports that a delegation led by Tahmina Taghi-zada, executive director of the Azerbaijan National Anti-Doping Agency (ANADA), represented Azerbaijan at the prestigious event aimed at developing global anti-doping efforts.
On the first day of the event, the plenary sessions started after the opening speeches of WADA President Witold Bank and CEO Olivier Nigley.
WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “This week, WADA celebrates its 25th Anniversary. It has been a quarter century of progress, of growth and, above all, of collaboration with the global anti-doping community. The Agency’s very origins are the result of a unique partnership between sports and Governments of the world. Remarkably, it is a partnership that has stood the test of time. I am not aware of any other socio-political scenario where this has happened.
WADA is thrilled with the results of the European I&I Capability and Capacity Building Project. They speak for themselves. I would like to commend our partners at the European Union and Europol for their support and belief in this project. This amazing initiative has demonstrated what is possible when law enforcement and Anti-Doping Organizations team up to protect clean sport. By combining the power of arrest and seizure of law enforcement agencies with the specific anti-doping knowledge of Anti-Doping Organizations, we have achieved unprecedented results. It is fair to say that the criminal gangs that are trafficking performance-enhancing drugs, and their customers who wish to cheat the system, are feeling the heat.
To describe this project as a success would be a massive understatement. The success of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency’s completed operations has set the tone while demonstrating the kind of impact these coordinated efforts can have. The level of collaboration and cooperation between WADA, the Anti-Doping Organizations and law enforcement has been incredible. We look forward to expanding this project into Asia and Oceania in the years to come, and we are confident that this initiative will continue to deter producers and distributors of performance enhancing drugs.”
The sessions, held in partnership with the European Commission, covered data collection and investigative skills in Europe, as well as benchmarking in the anti-doping community. Parallel sessions are devoted to discussions of blood doping trends, controversial court simulation topics. Experts also participated in question-and-answer sessions.
The second day of the symposium continued with plenary sessions covering WADA's partnership with international organizations, operational implications of the European Union's Data Collection and Investigations project, and educational policies. Issues such as application of the World Anti-Doping Code based on national legislation and testing of dry blood samples were also discussed at the event.
In addition, the sessions discussed cooperation between national anti-doping organizations and international federations, human rights and anti-doping, as well as the future of anti-doping research and the role of artificial intelligence.
The symposium concluded with a summary of keynote addresses highlighting the collective efforts to maintain doping-free sport globally. The event served as a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas, address issues and make progress in the ongoing fight against doping in sport.
Idman.biz
