WADA Director General Meets With IOC President, IFS


Montreal, October 14, 2003 – The new director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) met with leaders of several international sports federations, as well as with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to discuss WADA’s strategic priorities and areas of cooperation in the coming months, the Agency announced today.

David Howman, who recently took over the position of WADA’s director general, met with the federations and IOC President Jacques Rogge in Switzerland last week to discuss recent strategic decisions made by WADA’s executive committee at its September meeting and update them on the Agency’s areas of activity. The federations and the Olympic Movement represent 50 percent of WADA’s stakeholders, with governments representing the other half.

Howman said Rogge and the international federations’ representatives expressed satisfaction with the priorities recently defined by the Executive Committee. These priorities are the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code, increased emphasis on research and education, and continuation of some out-of-competition testing.

“The IOC and the entire Olympic Movement are crucial partners for WADA,” Howman said. “It was important to discuss with them their views of how WADA can serve their needs and how we can best work together in the coming months. I had a very productive meeting with the President of the IOC and I was particularly happy to see once again how supportive he is of the fight against doping in sport and of the Agency’s work.”

Some of the discussions also focused on the World Anti-Doping Code, which will go into effect for the sports movement next year. Many of the international federations have already adopted the Code and will implement it prior to the Olympic Games in Athens. The IOC adopted the Code at its session in July in Prague. To date, 69 sports organizations have formally adopted the Code. The updated list can be found on WADA’s website at www.wada-ama.org.

“Implementation of the Code will be a major part of the work of the federations,” Howman said. “WADA stands ready to do what it can to help during the transition time.”