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WADA welcomes additional funding from Qatar for scientific research

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Sports and Youth in Qatar has decided to make an additional contribution to WADA of USD 1.5 million for use in the field of scientific research. This amount is additional to the State of Qatar’s annual contribution to WADA of more than USD 200,000, and was committed during a visit by WADA President, Witold Bańka, to Qatar this week, who met His Excellency Yasser bin Abdulla Al Jamal, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth. 

WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “WADA is appreciative of the continued support of our partners within Qatar’s Ministry of Sports and Youth. The additional funding will make a significant impact on anti-doping research globally and within Qatar itself. WADA expresses its gratitude for this additional funding. This is another indication of the strong support WADA receives from governments around the world, which believe in and trust us to deliver on our clean sport mission and understand the importance of cutting-edge scientific research to being ahead of those who seek to cheat the system.” 

H.E. Eng. Yasser bin Abdulla Al Jamal – Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth: “The Ministry of Sports and Youth is happy to make this additional contribution to the field of scientific research. We know how important this area of anti-doping is to the overall system, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities to continue to develop clean sport expertise, not just here in Qatar but also across Asia and throughout the world. We would like to extend our gratitude to WADA for the work it does in protecting clean sport around the world. The Ministry firmly believes in the power of collaboration, and will continue to play its part in uniting the anti-doping community around the world.”  

The additional funding will be used to fund three specific areas: 

  • Research being carried out in Qatar by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Doha; 
  • Research conducted by WADA internationally; and 
  • A partnership between WADA and the Doha Laboratory to further develop the laboratory’s annual symposium by broadening the scope of the conference and bringing in additional international experts to participate in it. 

The visit also included the presence of the Qatar Anti-Doping Commission, which played an active role in supporting this collaboration and reaffirming Qatar’s commitment to contributing effectively to global anti-doping efforts and fostering a sporting environment rooted in integrity and scientific advancement.  

Note: WADA’s core funding is sourced from the Olympic Movement and Governments of the world. Governments’ annual contributions are calculated through a regional split, which was agreed upon by public authorities shortly after the creation of WADA in 1999. The Olympic Movement matches Governments’ contributions up to 50% of WADA’s annual budget. These regular annual contributions are complemented by additional contributions from WADA stakeholders and by projects or partnerships with other organizations.