WADA collaborates with anti-doping partners to promote clean sport during 2023 Pan and Parapan American Games

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to share its plan to promote clean sport during the 2023 Pan American (Panam) and Parapan American (Parapan Am) Games in Santiago, Chile.  

WADA will have its Athlete Engagement and Independent Observer (IO) teams on site for the Panam Games, which will run from 20 October until 5 November. The Athlete Engagement team will then stay through the Parapan Games, which will take place between 17-26 November. Together, both events will feature more than 8,000 athletes from 41 countries, which will compete across 39 sports in the Panam Games and 17 in the Parapan Games. 

WADA’s IO program is designed to enhance athlete and public confidence as to the quality, effectiveness, and reliability of anti-doping programs during major international multisport events. WADA’s Athlete Engagement initiatives are in place to raise awareness about doping-free sport among athletes and their support personnel while also promoting clean sport. 

WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “We look forward to running our Athlete Engagement and Independent Observer programs in Santiago. The Independent Observer team will collaborate with our partners on the ground to help strengthen the anti-doping program during the Panam Games. Meanwhile, our Athlete Engagement team will have the important task of engaging with athletes at both the Panam and Parapan Am Games, and their entourages, on a variety of anti-doping topics. These Games represent an important opportunity for WADA to continue to champion its global collaborative mission for doping-free sport in South America and raise the game for athletes around the world.” 

Independent Observer (IO) Program  

WADA will be running an IO program during the Panam Games in Santiago 2023. The anti-doping program will be operated by Panam Sports in conjunction with the local organizing committee. WADA’s IO team will collaborate with the various organizations to help strengthen the program.  

Providing daily feedback to the organizers, the IO team will observe all aspects of the Games’ anti-doping program, including:  

• Test distribution planning and implementation;  

• Recruitment and training of sample collection personnel;  

• Athlete selection, notification and sample collection procedures;  

• Transport and chain of custody of samples;  

• Therapeutic Use Exemption procedures; and 

• Results management. 

Following the Panam Games, the IO team will issue a report that will formalize observations and recommendations designed to enhance anti-doping activities for future events.  

The IO team consists of:  

• Juan Lauria (Argentina), Manager, WADA Latin America Office (Chair);  

• Federico Perroni (Uruguay) Manager, WADA Latin America Office;  

• Maria Fernanda Carraca de Alcantara Frias (Brazil), Testing Manager, Autoridade Brasileira de Controle de Dopagem (ABCD); and  

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

In keeping with the ‘Be Athlete Centered’ priority of WADA’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, the Agency is ensuring that athletes are involved in all aspects of anti-doping, including being part of its IO teams.  As noted above, WADA Athlete Council member Clare Egan will be on hand as part of the team to provide an athlete’s perspective throughout the monitoring process. 

Clare Egan said: “I am pleased to be joining the Independent Observer team for the 2023 Pan American Games. Having members of WADA’s Athlete Council on IO teams at major events provides opportunities for the Council to assess all aspects of the anti-doping process and eventually provide feedback regarding what we can do to make this part of an athlete’s career a positive experience. It is very important to me that a robust anti-doping program is implemented while still respecting athletes’ rights." 

Athlete Engagement 

WADA will have an Athlete Engagement team present at both the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games to deliver the ‘One Play True Team’ campaign while raising awareness and promoting clean sport. The team will run the program jointly with the Chilean NADO. The Program also includes a legacy aspect thanks to the banners and promotional resources that will be left behind for the Chilean NADO to use for their own engagement and outreach activities at future events. 

The athlete-led team includes:  

• Paola Mautino (Perú), two-time Pan American Games participant, nine-time national long jump champion and sprinter; 

• Macarena Mondaca (Chile), Manager, Education and Awareness, Chile NADO; 

• Gabriela Traña (Costa Rica), two-time Pan American Games participant, two-time Olympic long-distance runner and Costa Rican flag bearer at the 2012 London Games; 

• Stacy Spletzer-Jegen (USA), WADA Senior Manager, Athlete Engagement; and  

• Edna Serra (Uruguay), Office Manager, WADA Latin America Office.