WADA provides update regarding 2026 Regional Symposiums for Europe and Africa

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) would like to provide stakeholders with an update regarding its 2026 Regional Symposiums for Europe and Africa, which were scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan in March, and Cairo, Egypt in April; and were postponed due to the war in the Middle East.

Please note that, due to ongoing uncertainties in the region, WADA and its hosts have now regrettably agreed to cancel the in-person events. WADA is pleased, however, to share that in lieu of these events, it will soon roll out a webinar series that will deliver the key elements of the events’ programs.

We are grateful to our hosts – the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan National Anti-Doping Agency, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Egypt and the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organization – and appreciate the shared caution and concern for the wellbeing of Symposium participants and WADA staff. We also wish to thank them for their generosity and recognize everyone that was involved in planning for these events, which we know would have been very successful.

Upcoming Webinar Series

The 2026 Regional Symposiums for Europe and Africa Webinar Series will consist of up to 12 core webinars, which will be delivered over the course of two weeks in June  (9-11 June and 16-18 June). Each webinar will include a pre-recorded presentation provided in advance that will serve as a strong foundation for a subsequent live interactive session.

The pre-recorded presentations will be made available approximately two weeks prior to the live interactive sessions—participants are strongly encouraged to view the pre-record prior to attending the live sessions to best situate themselves and fellow attendees for rich and dynamic discussions. The live sessions will provide a brief introduction including key highlights, followed by an interactive presentation delivered by external practitioners from Europe and/or Africa, and will finish with a question and answer session. The format of each component can be found below.
 

The core webinars will be on the following topics, delivered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (9-11 June and 16-18 June) from 14:00-17:00 (Lausanne CEST and Cape Town SAST):

• 2027 World Anti-Doping Code (Code)
• Athlete-Centered changes to the Code and International Standards (Standards)
• National Anti-Doping Organization Operational Independence
• Compliance with the Code and Standards
• International Standard for Data Protection
• International Standard for Education
• International Standard for Intelligence and Investigations
• International Standard for Results Management
• International Standard for Testing
• International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions
• Code Implementation Support Program (CISP)

Further sessions may be added to the program later to cover more specific topics that were also part of the two Regional Symposiums programs.

Additional information regarding the program, registration, and accessing the pre-recorded sessions will be shared separately soon. In the meantime, for any questions, please feel free to contact europesymposium2026@wada-ama.org or africasymposium2026@wada-ama.org, depending on your region. 

Registration for other 2026 Regional Symposiums – Asia/Oceania and Americas

As previously communicated, WADA will deliver the following 2026 Regional Symposiums as planned:

1. Asia/Oceania: Beijing, China on 2-3 June (Intergovernmental meeting on 1 June)

• Registration open now – deadline Friday 1 May
• For questions, please contact: asiaoceaniasymposium2026@wada-ama.org

2. Americas: Lima, Peru on 13-14 August

• Registration to open in May

About WADA’s 2026 Regional Symposiums 

WADA’s Regional Symposiums aim to address the unique needs and challenges of stakeholders in the different regions in the lead up to implementation of the 2027 Code and Standards. The events will be structured around CISP with a strong emphasis on compliance readiness.

We strongly encourage members of the anti-doping community from Asia/Oceania and the Americas to attend the Regional Symposiums in Beijing and Lima, as the content will be tailored to the unique needs of the regions. However, while this webinar series is being developed in lieu of the Regional Symposiums for Europe and Africa, the materials will be available to all stakeholders, and participants from other regions will be able to register and attend the live sessions should they wish.