WADA addresses the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties to the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport

This week, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Director General, Olivier Niggli, and Director of Government Relations, Darren Mullaly, were in Paris, France, to participate in the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport (Convention), which was held from 20-22 October 2023.  

On Monday, Mr. Niggli took part in a panel session entitled ‘One System, One Golden Standard: Where do public and private responsibilities meet?’. In his preliminary address, Mr. Niggli highlighted the evolution and growth of the global anti-doping system. 

He said: “Before its creation in 1999, there were a multitude of systems across sports and countries, all using different rules and lacking harmony. Over 26 years and four iterations of the World Anti-Doping Code, a unified system has been built and constantly improved. It will continue to evolve through the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards, which will be adopted at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in December, in Busan, Korea. 

“Through it all, the key to the successes of the global anti-doping system has been collaboration. It was the inspiration for the founding members of WADA, and this tenet remains true today. We need every stakeholder, including Governments, to continue to work together and do everything in their power to strengthen anti-doping in their regions of the world, in the name of clean sport and for the wellbeing of athletes and young people everywhere.” 

Meanwhile, Mr. Mullaly was on hand to update the COP10 on WADA’s latest activities, outline the Agency’s key strategic priorities, and provide an update on the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards. 

He said: “We are appreciative of the opportunity to once again address the Conference of Parties. WADA’s relationship with UNESCO has certainly strengthened since COP9, and we continue to have positive and constructive dialogue on key issues, including policy implementation and compliance monitoring. We look forward to maintaining our concerted efforts to chart a path forward for clean sport and provide strong, unified guidance for the Governments of the world in the months and years to come.” 

While in Paris, the WADA delegation was joined by the Director of the Office of the President, Rafal Piechota; Director of WADA’s Latin America and Caribbean Office, Francisco Leon; and the Director of WADA’s Africa Office, Rodney Swigelaar, and held productive exchanges with the Public Authorities’ representation, reinforcing the importance of ongoing dialogue with its stakeholders.