A Message to Athletes from WADA’s Head of Athlete Engagement
Dear athletes,
My name is Karine Henrie, and I am the Head of Athlete Engagement for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). I work alongside Senior Manager Stacy Spletzer-Jegen, who has been at the heart and soul of WADA’s Athlete Engagement efforts for many years. Together, we collaborate with our WADA colleagues, our Athlete Council and other athletes and athlete representatives to ensure that WADA lives up to its commitment to be an athlete-centered organization. As a member of WADA’s Management Team, I also ensure that that athletes’ interests and concerns are brought to Management and WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board as needed.
Working with athletes, WADA colleagues, and the global anti-doping community to make a difference for athletes is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. To this point, my commitments to the athlete community are to:
- listen to all athletes' voices as it relates to anti-doping,
- learn from as many athlete experiences as possible; and
- do my best to be a clean sport champion for athletes inside and outside of WADA.
Reflecting on the first half of 2024, I want to provide a recap of what we have accomplished together so far, acknowledge the challenges we have experienced, and give an overview of what is in store for the rest of the year as we work towards improving our engagement with athletes worldwide.
Athlete Engagement at events
WADA’s event-based Athlete Engagement program raises awareness about clean sport in a fun and interactive environment and engages athletes and their support personnel to be part of the solution. Below are some examples of what we have carried out this year.
-
In March, WADA held its Annual Symposium during which we highlighted two major athlete initiatives:
Initial Human Rights Impact Assessment, which is evaluating the intersection between the World Anti-Doping Program and the human rights of athletes
-
The Athletes’ Anti-Doping Ombuds, which is a free, neutral, and confidential resource for athletes with questions or concerns about anti-doping issues.
-
Play True Day
In April, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of WADA’s Play True Day, our annual social media campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of clean sport. A big thanks to athletes and the global anti-doping community that came together as #OnePlayTrueTeam to form the world’s biggest team playing for clean sport!
-
Chinese swimming case
Also in April, as you may know, media coverage first emerged regarding 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine in 2021; and, since then, WADA has dedicated a lot of time to providing information and answering questions related to the case. I want to thank the 200+ athletes who joined us for the athlete-focused video conference regarding the case on 21 May. I am grateful for your time and for your questions.
Most recently, following a thorough review of WADA’s handling of the matter, the independent prosecutor concluded that WADA showed no bias towards China and that WADA’s decision not to appeal the cases was “indisputably reasonable”. I invite you to read the interim report and annex for further details of the review. Echoing the comments of our Athlete Council Chair, Ryan Pini, I too hope this interim report provides reassurance to athletes, and I look forward to working with the Athlete Council to discuss the recommendations proposed in the full reasoned report in the coming weeks. If you are looking for more information on this case, I invite you to visit the dedicated web page which contains all WADA’s related releases, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions, you can reach out to me at karine.henrie@wada-ama.org or our Athlete Council at athlete@wada-ama.org.
Upcoming initiatives and events
We will be conducting athlete interviews to get your feedback on the Athlete Central App with the aim of improving its functionalities and make sure it is a strong and reliable tool for athletes to fulfil their obligations.
We encourage all athletes to contribute to the Code and International Standard Update Process. Given the Code and Standards have an impact on you, your feedback is crucial. On 16 July 2024, we will hold an athlete-focused webinar on the topic in collaboration with WADA’s Athlete Council. During the webinar, we will provide information on the update process, the timelines, and the proposed changes, and we will also show you the simple steps to take to ensure your voice is heard.
Our athlete-led Athlete Engagement Program will be carried out during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. We are excited to welcome all athletes at our Play True booth in the Athlete Village at both events.
-
For those of you on the road to Paris, we know you’ve been training hard! To support you with your anti-doping responsibilities, we have produced several resources that can be accessed here.
-
There are several organizations working hard to protect the integrity of the Paris Games and ensure a level playing field for all athletes. For more details, we encourage you to read our Question and Answer document that we published in collaboration with our Athlete Council.
We will reach out to update you on initiatives that are underway or planned by the Athlete Engagement team and the Athlete Council, including providing information regarding the upcoming Athlete Council elections.
The Athlete Engagement team is committed to improving its communications with you—in both directions! We want to do a better job of keeping you informed on the things you care about and offer avenues for you to be in touch with us. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas that you would like to raise with us, we encourage you to contact us at athlete@wada-ama.org.
Finally, I would like to thank you for your commitment to clean sport. As you know, anti-doping is a shared responsibility. We will continue to work hand in hand with our Athlete Council and the greater athlete community to continue strengthening the global anti-doping system.
Yours in clean sport,
Karine Henrie
