Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to collaborate on a series of anti-doping program development activities. The signing took place during the 17and Intergovernmental meeting of the Asia/Oceania region on the fight against doping in sport, organized in Dubai by the National Anti-Doping Organization of the United Arab Emirates.
Established in 1967, ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization established by the ASEAN Charter which is committed to intensifying community building through cooperation and integration enhanced by its 10 Member States.
The MOU, which was signed by WADA President Witold Bańka and ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim, will span an initial three-year term with the aim of creating a partnership that will help two organizations to prevent doping in the region.
WADA President Witold Bańka said: “The global anti-doping system is built on collaboration between various stakeholders, and this Memorandum of Understanding between WADA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations East will boost anti-doping work by governments and national authorities. anti-doping organizations in this region. WADA exists to serve athletes around the world. We are here to provide them with the opportunity to compete to the best of their natural ability on an equal footing. The cooperation formalized by this Memorandum of Understanding is another example of the practical steps we are taking to achieve this. I thank ASEAN and its members for their commitment to clean sport.
ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim said in his remarks: “I am confident that the engagement of Member States and relevant stakeholders in anti-doping prevention will enable ASEAN to better harness the potential of its resources. human resources needed to prevent doping in ASEAN. , to provide a fair and equitable playing environment for all athletes.
Through the MoU, ASEAN will support the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), which harmonizes anti-doping programs in all sports and countries around the world. It will also ensure that its Member States make every effort to further increase anti-doping capacity in the region.
ASEAN members are also committed to implementing effective anti-doping education and awareness programs for athletes, to ensuring that the necessary legislation and regulations are in place to enforce the terms of the Code and to cooperating with WADA and international federations on all issues related to health protection. sport.
For its part, WADA will collaborate and support ASEAN in joint projects for its members. This includes sharing information, education and training resources, ensuring that ASEAN is invited to WADA events and kept up to date on all relevant issues related to the fight against doping.
In addition to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the intergovernmental meeting of the Asia/Oceania region to be held on March 14 and 15 in Dubai is an opportunity for government representatives from across Asia and Oceania to meet again and discuss important anti-doping issues that help protect clean sport. A total of 36 countries1 are attending the meeting, virtually or in person, and speakers include WADA President Witold Bańka and Vice President Yang Yang. Mr. Bańka highlighted three important aspects of the fight against doping, namely the need for every country in the world to have a strong and relevant programme, the importance of appropriate funding allocated to the fight against doping at worldwide and the need for dialogue and engagement with the athletes.
In her remarks, Ms. Yang took the opportunity to focus on ongoing work to strengthen the quality of anti-doping education, including through WADA’s Anti-Doping Education and Learning Platform, known as ADEL. In addition, WADA’s Director General, Olivier Niggli, attended the meeting and made a presentation focusing on the main elements of the Agency’s work in accordance with its Strategic Plan 2020-2024.
1 Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan*, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China*, India, Indonesia*, Iraq, Japan*, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea*, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic*, Lebanon*, Malaysia, Maldives*, Federated States of Micronesia*, Mongolia, Myanmar*, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand*, Oman, Palestine, Philippines*, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Timor Leste*, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam * . (*= virtual participation)
