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WADA looks ahead to the future of anti-doping in the Americas at the Asunción Sports Summit

WADA staff at the Asunción Sports Summit in Paraguay

This week, members of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) leadership team attended the Asunción Sports Summit in Paraguay, a three-day event which brought together the General Assemblies of the South American Sports Council (CONSUDE), the Central American and Caribbean Sports Council (CONCECADE), the Ibero-American Sports Council (CID), and the Americas Sports Council (CADE).

The Summit provided a valuable opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from across the Americas and to reinforce the critical role of governments in supporting regional anti-doping efforts. Discussions also focused on future priorities, including the continued development and strengthening of anti-doping organizations throughout the region.

The annual Summit brings together Sports Ministers and other Government representatives from the Americas region, with anti-doping matters featured throughout the different meetings.

  • WADA staff at the Asunción Sports Summit in Paraguay

    Throughout the three days, Francisco León, the Director of WADA’s Latin America and Caribbean office, presented the Agency’s strategic priorities and activities, highlighted recent achievements and mapped out future objectives. He was joined in Paraguay by WADA’s Director of Government Relations, Darren Mullaly, and WADA Manager, Latin America and Caribbean Office, Federico Perroni.

    Among the themes emphasized throughout the week was the importance of governmental support of various WADA projects, with major emphasis on the implementation of the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards.

    Mr. León said: “WADA is appreciative of the opportunity to once again take part in the annual Sports Summit and present the Agency’s various initiatives. It was an opportunity to provide a thorough overview of the work WADA is doing to build capacity and capability in the region, and to understand from stakeholders where there is room for improvement. We engaged in collaborative dialogue throughout the week with various Latin American and Caribbean partners and were pleased by the level of engagement among stakeholders and Government representatives in attendance.

    “Our hope is that they leave with a renewed sense of motivation to prioritize supporting their National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations so that they can continue to carry out the important work that safeguards the integrity of sport, for athletes here and around the world.”

  • Francisco León, the Director of WADA’s Latin America and Caribbean office at CADE

    Throughout the week, the WADA delegation also highlighted the numerous athlete-led initiatives between WADA and its partners within the region at past and future continental sporting events, including the 2025 Junior Pan American Games which took place in Asunción in August of last year; and the upcoming 2027 Pan American Games (Lima 2027) which will be hosted in Lima. WADA will send an Independent Observer (IO) team to Lima 2027, and will implement its Major Event Anti-Doping Legacy (MEAL) Program, which focuses on strengthening the anti-doping programs and resources related to Major Event Organizations and other key stakeholders.

    These initiatives were championed by the Hon. Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports and member of the WADA Foundation Board. She said: “We were pleased to see the scope of WADA’s impactful work in the Latin America and Caribbean region. WADA’s continued commitment to building capability and capacity here is inspiring, and speaking particularly for Jamaica, we are proud to have the opportunity to play a role in the continued development of key initiatives in the years to come, particularly with regards to the expansion of the Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network into the Americas over the course of the next two years. In this context, we are also pleased to host one of the development workshops in 2027.”

  • WADA’s Director of Government Relations, Darren Mullaly at CADE

    Mr. León also extended another invitation to those in attendance to register for the upcoming Regional Symposium for the Americas, which will take place in Lima, Peru, on 13-14 August. The Symposium will be structured around WADA’s 2027 Code Implementation Support Program (CISP), with a strong emphasis on compliance readiness.

    He continued: “With the implementation of the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards rapidly approaching, we look towards the Governments in the region to take on a leadership role in ensuring a smooth transition to the update Code and Standards, and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to carry out the impactful work being done to promote and protect clean sport throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.”

    WADA’s continued involvement in the region was also highlighted, specifically by some key projects, namely:

    • Expanding WADA’s Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN), which will include the Americas phase in 2026-2027;
    • WADA’s ongoing role in working with Governments to support the development of operationally independent National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations; and
    • Continued investments in scientific and social science research.

    The WADA delegation also met with sports ministers and Government representatives bilaterally to exchange views and offer guidance on national anti-doping matters.