WADA members to parley over Code's implementation and enforcement in Montreal

Submitted by ATAF Editor on 7 May 2009 - 10:57pm

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has organized a number of events for the media in relation to its Executive Committee and Foundation Board meetings, to be held respectively on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, in Montreal, Canada.

During these meetings, Members representing governments of all regions of the world and the Olympic Movement will discuss stakeholders' implementation and enforcement of the amended World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards, which went into effect on January 1 of this year.

WADA's Executive Committee and Foundation Board will also discuss the recent advisory opinion released by the European Union's Article 29 Working Party on Data Protection, which examined WADA's International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information (Data Protection Standard), as well as a number of anti-doping rules and practices. (Click here for the Standard.)

The advisory opinion importantly recognized the proportionality and legitimacy of the current whereabouts regime for top-level elite athletes, as well as the significant advances made in relation to athletes' data protection in the global anti-doping system through the recent implementation of the Data Protection Standard. (Click here for WADA's April 15 Statement on the Working Party Opinion.) 

Following the release of the opinion, representatives of WADA, the European Commission, the Council of Europe and European governments held a number of joint meetings to discuss possible submissions to the May 9-10 meetings of WADA's Executive Committee and Foundation Board, in particular in order to further strengthen the Data Protection Standard.

In addition, WADA's Executive Committee and Foundation Board meetings will be an opportunity for Members to consider recent advances in anti-doping and to be updated on some of the Agency's key activities. 

These include doping prevention, athlete education, anti-doping development, science, the Athlete Passport Program, cooperation with law enforcement and pharmaceutical companies, ratification of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport by individual countries, as well as issues related to recent doping cases and investigations.

The following events have been organized for the media in relation to the meetings. Please note that the Executive Committee meeting on May 9 is not open to the media and no press conference will be held following the meeting.

Sunday, May 10, 2009 - Foundation Board Meeting, Press Conference

Location: Delta Hotel Centre-Ville, Regency Room, 777 University St., Montreal.

9:00 am to 4:00 pm - Meeting of WADA's Foundation Board. The meeting is open to the media. Seats will be reserved inside the meeting room for journalists who wish to attend. No audio or video taping of the meeting is permitted.

Photographers and cameramen will be allowed in the meeting room for a 5-minute camera spray prior to the start of the meeting. Journalists who wish to attend the meeting must be accredited and are asked to contact, prior to 6:00 pm on May 8, Frédéric Donzé, WADA's Media Relations & Communications Senior Manager, at frederic.donze@wada-ama.org.

An office for journalists will be available at the Delta Hotel throughout the day on May 10.

4:00 pm - A press conference will be held following the Foundation Board meeting, with WADA's President John Fahey and Director General David Howman. (The time is subject to change depending on the conclusion of the meeting.)

Monday, May 11, 2009 - Press Conference Call

10:00 am (Montreal time) - WADA President John Fahey and Director General David Howman will discuss the topics addressed at the Executive Committee and Foundation Board meetings and will respond to journalists' questions in a conference call.

All interested journalists are required to contact WADA's Media Relations & Communications Senior Manager, Frédéric Donzé (frederic.donze@wada-ama.org), prior to 6:00 pm on May 10 in order to receive the phone number they will need to dial-in on May 11 to participate in the teleconference.

WADA contact for the Media:

Frédéric Donzé
WADA Senior Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Phone : + 1 514 904 8820
E-mail : frederic.donze@wada-ama.org