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WADA announces ‘One Team for Clean Sport’ collaboration with International Testing Agency at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce its ‘One Team for Clean Sport’ collaboration with the International Testing Agency (ITA) at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (Gangwon 2024) in Gangwon, South Korea. This major biennial event, which runs from 19 January to 1 February 2024, will involve a record 1,900 athletes from 80 countries. 

The ‘One Team for Clean Sport’ initiative is part of the wider International Olympic Committee Athlete Education Programme (AEP) which will be delivered at Gangwon 2024. The AEP is a fundamental component of the Youth Olympic Games experience and was specifically designed for young athletes competing in the Games and their support personnel.  

WADA and the ITA will join forces to take the lead on the clean sport aspect of the AEP, with the ITA leading on the education piece and WADA on athlete engagement. Gangwon 2024 will be the first time WADA has partnered with the ITA on athlete engagement initiatives at a major multi-sport event. 

WADA’s Athlete Engagement team will promote clean sport messages in an interactive and fun environment where every athlete understands they have a role in the promotion of clean sport. Activities will include having their picture on the cover of Play True magazine, using fun props and signed polaroid pictures, social media activities and winning high-quality prizes that promote the ‘Play True’ message.  

The athlete-led team includes: 

  • Clare Egan (USA), WADA Athlete Council member, International Biathlon Union Athlete Commission Chair and two-time Olympic biathlete;  

  • Shiva Kevashan (India), six-time Olympian in luge and WADA Athlete Engagement member at the 2023 Asian Games; and 

  • Rika Saito (Japan), Olympic weightlifter and Head of Education, Japan Anti-Doping Agency. 

Ms. Egan said: “We are looking forward to working collaboratively with the International Testing Agency on this important athlete engagement initiative at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Gangwon 2024 represents an important opportunity for WADA to connect with young athletes and their entourages. For many of the young athletes competing, this will be their first exposure to international competition. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are aware of the expectations that come with participating in elite sport, and the anti-doping resources that are available to them in the lead-up to a major event.” 

At Gangwon 2024, the joint initiative will be in both athlete villages, working alongside many other program activities being led by International Olympic Committee (IOC) staff and other experts to provide a fun, interactive and age-appropriate learning experience. Members of the Korean Anti-Doping Agency’s (KADA) Athlete Committee will also participate in delivering the program. 

The ITA’s education activities will include a medications game to develop athlete skills in identifying active ingredients in a medication, a doping control simulation to help athletes understand their roles and responsibilities and how the process works, and games with a focus on values-based questions. 

In addition, to complement the Games-time activities in the leadup to Gangwon 2024, WADA’s Education Department, in collaboration with the ITA and IOC will be promoting the use of the major event pre-Games education module, ‘Talented Athletes Competing at a Major Event’ which is hosted on WADAs Anti-Doping Education and Learning (ADEL) platform. The module is currently available in English, French and Spanish. All organizations strongly recommend that National Olympic Committees, in collaboration with their National Anti-Doping Organizations, ensure that athletes and their entourage are educated in advance. The ITA has also issued an NOC Education Guidebook for Gangwon 2024 in the lead up to the Games that was established with the support of WADA.