WADA launches webinar series for athletes

First webinar on COVID-19 and Clean Sport to be held on 3 July

Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce the launch of a series of athlete-led webinars to be held over the coming months. This series, which is an initiative of  WADA’s Athlete Committee, is intended to provide a platform for interactive engagement by the Agency with athletes worldwide on anti-doping matters. 

The first webinar, titled COVID-19 and Clean Sport, will be held on 3 July at 09:00 EDT; and, will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on athletes and the anti-doping system. The panelists will include the following athletes and experts:

• Ben Sandford: Chair, WADA Athlete Committee
• Dr. Alan Vernec: Medical Director, WADA
• Dr. Andrea Gotzmann, Chairwoman of the Executive Board, National Anti-Doping Agency of Germany
• Benjamin Cohen: Director General, International Testing Agency
• Tim Ricketts, Director, Standards & Harmonization, WADA

These panelists will engage participants on the following topics:

• the current situation in relation to testing;
• what athletes can expect may be modified with respect to health and safety protections as testing ramps up again; and
• how Anti-Doping Organizations are innovating and maintaining other elements of their detection and deterrence programs in the face of reduced testing.

Athletes are invited to register for this first webinar, by clicking here. Anti-Doping Organizations worldwide are encouraged to relay this announcement on to their athletes.

End May, WADA and its Athlete Committee published a Q&A document for athletes on the matter of COVID-19 to update them about the evolving situation related to the protection of athlete health and how clean sport can persevere during these challenging times. This first webinar will be a continuation of these efforts as WADA and its Athlete Committee strive to ensure that as many athletes as possible are informed about this evolving topic.

“Despite the many challenges athletes are facing as a result of COVD-19, we want to provide assurance that anti-doping is not at a standstill,” said WADA Athlete Committee Chair, Ben Sandford. “WADA’s Athlete Committee wants to provide athletes with up-to-date information about the impact that COVID-19 is having on Clean Sport; and, we also need to continue to hear from athletes about what specifically concerns them and how we may be able to address those concerns. Beginning with the topic of COVID-19, we hope that this series of webinars will be an effective platform to share information and hear from athletes about how we can best support them and further improve the global anti-doping system.”

The next webinars in the series for athletes will be announced successively on WADA’s website and via social media.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Stacy Spletzer-Jegen, WADA’s Senior Manager, Athlete Relations & Communications, at: stacy.spletzer@wada-ama.org.