WADA expects highest attendance yet for its 2024 Global Education Conference

Registration will close on Friday 2 February 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to share that its 2024 Global Education Conference (GEC) is close to selling out, with more than 400 people anticipated to join the event to help advance education for the protection of clean sport.  

The 2024 GEC will be held on 27-29 February 2024 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, in partnership with France’s National Anti-Doping Organization, l’Agence française de lutte contre le dopage. 

The attendance will be a truly global representation of the community, with participants from all of WADA’s geographical regions and all parts of the anti-doping ecosystem, including the athlete community, Public Authorities, the Sport Movement, the expert community, and other stakeholder groups like academia and research communities. 

27 February: Social Science Research (SSR) Symposium, Regional Conversations, ADO Show and Tell, and Opening Ceremony 

In connection with the GEC, on 27 February, there are several exciting events scheduled. WADA will host its first SSR Symposium at l’Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France. The Symposium, set to be attended by more than 50 people from the anti-doping SSR community, will feature sessions on contemporary SSR issues such as collaborating effectively, conducting international and interdisciplinary research, engaging athletes as partners, and setting future research priorities for clean sport.  

Back in Cannes, at the Hilton Canopy Hotel, WADA will host Regional Conversations—opportunities for participants to gather with members from their region to discuss education-related matters—in conversation with Kady Kanouté Tounkara, Chair of WADA’s Education Committee, and Amanda Hudson and Tom May, WADA Directors of Education and NADO/RADO Relations respectively. Following these discussions will be the Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) Show and Tell, which will be a chance for some ADOs to showcase their latest education initiatives.  

The final event of the day will be the GEC Opening Ceremony at the Palais des Festivals, during which WADA President Witold Bańka, AFLD President Béatrice Bourgeois, and French dignitaries, will speak.  

28 and 29 February: Conference Sessions, ‘Taste of France,’ Gala Dinner, and Closing Remarks  

The Conference agenda of 28 and 29 February is packed full of rich and varied sessions—from the fundamentals of education programs and plans to using behavioral science to promote clean sport values to nutritional supplements and unintentional doping, there will be interesting and informative content at every turn. The GEC will also be an opportunity to discuss the Global Education Agenda more broadly as well as the evolution of the International Standard for Education.  

Of particular note, on 28 February, our gracious hosts, AFLD, have organized a ‘Taste of France’ event and Gala dinner; and, on 29 February, WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, will deliver closing remarks. 

We look forward to welcoming many of you in Cannes this month for what is sure to be an exciting and impactful set of events.