From Inside the Games
Calgary in Canada will host the first World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Global Athlete Forum in June, it was announced today.
The event, scheduled to be held on June 3 and 4, will give athletes an “opportunity to express how they believe their rights should be protected today and in the future” following frustration expressed by some competitors regarding the way the Russian doping scandal has been dealt with.
The development of an Anti-Doping Charter of Athlete Rights, launched by the WADA Athlete Committee last year, will also form a key part of the two-day meeting.
It is hoped the charter will one day become ingrained in the 2021 edition of the World Anti-Doping Code.
Around 150 athlete leaders are due to attend the Global Athlete Forum hosted by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and WADA.
In a statement, WADA promised the meeting would “discuss key developments in anti-doping, including current issues and concerns”.
“I am grateful to the COC for offering to host the forum and very excited by this opportunity to bring together athletes of the world to discuss one of, if not the, most important issues in sport today,” WADA Athlete Committee chairperson Beckie Scott said.
“Athletes are at the heart of sport and doping continues to be an issue that adversely impacts the pursuit of their ambitions.”
