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WADA President addresses anti-doping leaders at 2024 Central and Eastern European Anti-Doping Summit

CEADO Summit 2024

This week, members of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) leadership team were in Belgrade, Serbia to participate in the 2nd edition of the Central and Eastern European Anti-Doping Summit.  

The Summit is organized by the Central European Anti-Doping Organization (CEADO), a partnership of nine National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) from Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia that work together towards the common goal of harmonizing and strengthening the anti-doping system in the region. 

This year’s Summit, which was attended by more than 60 participants from 26 different countries, was hosted by the Antidoping Agency of Serbia. It focused on a number of anti-doping topics, including:  

WADA President Witold Bańka delivered a keynote speech which highlighted the importance of collaboration between the Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) within Central and Eastern Europe and around the world.  

Mr. Bańka said: “WADA would like to thank the Central European Anti-Doping Organization, the Antidoping Agency of Sebia and the Serbian government for organizing this important event. This summit provides a platform for anti-doping organizations from the region to share best practices and discover new ways to collaborate. While still a relatively new organization, CEADO is already a prime example of what is possible when anti-doping organizations unite towards a common goal. CEADO members have been actively supporting other countries’ NADOs, which has directly enabled some countries to address their compliance requirements. It goes to show what can be achieved through collaborative efforts. 

“CEADO’s leadership and members are steadfast in supporting WADA’s mission to do what is right for the athletes of the world. WADA is grateful to CEADO’s members for its ongoing commitment to clean sport. Together, we can ensure that the values of integrity, respect, and excellence continue to define the spirit of sport here and around the world.”  

CEO of the Antidoping Agency of Serbia, Prof. Dr. Milica Vukašinović-Vesić said: “It was a pleasure to host this year’s edition of the CEADO Summit. We are proud to have had this opportunity to work with WADA to assemble anti-doping leaders from across Central and Eastern Europe, all who share the same desire to work together for the benefit of athletes in this region and around the world. We look forward to putting the outcomes of this year’s Summit into action, and we are committed to working closely with WADA in the years to come to uphold clean sport values.” 

A number of other WADA staff contributed to the summit, including Director, Engagement and Development, Tom May; Senior Director, Science and Medicine, Olivier Rabin; Director, Testing, Tim Ricketts; General Counsel, Ross Wenzel; Director, Office of the President, Rafal Piechota; Manager, Government and NADO Relations (Europe), Stefan Trinks; and Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Unit, Lisa Benaglia.