Germany, August 6, 2013: As the buildup to the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships continues, the IPC, WADA, and some of the world’s leading swimmers have announced they will host a day dedicated to promoting clean sport.
Say NO! to Doping Day, which takes place on day two of the Championships (Tuesday 13 August), aims to raise awareness of anti-doping with the goal that all athletes compete on a level playing field.
Athletes will be encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to clean, honest sport by wearing green Say NO! to Doping (SNTD) swimming caps and temporary tattoos displaying SNTD and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) logos. Leading para-swimmers competing in Montreal, including Canadians Valérie Grand’Maison and Benoît Huot, Great Britain’s Josef Craig and Eleanor Simmonds, Andre Brasil of Brazil and Jessica Long of the USA, have pledged their support to the cause.
Throughout the day at the Parc Jean Drapeau Aquatic Complex, athletes, volunteers and officials will wear SNTD t-shirts, while spectators will be given free handheld paper fans and temporary tattoos. There will also be a Twitter and Facebook competition providing spectators with the opportunity to win signed caps worn by world and Paralympic champions.
IPC President Sir Philip Craven said: “The IPC is delighted to partner with WADA to raise the profile of clean sport and to be able to provide education and support for athletes and teams at Montreal 2013.
“As an athlete myself I know how important it is for everyone to play fair.”
WADA Director General David Howman, who will participate in a special Say NO! to Doping Press Conference at the Parc Jean Drapeau with IPC President Sir Philip Craven, said:
“Say NO! to Doping is an effective campaign that allows athletes and organizations to demonstrate that they are behind clean sport. I am glad so many leading names from the world of para-swimming have joined us in being vocal of sport that consists of fair play and respect.”
Reigning Paralympic and world champion in the 100m butterfly S10, 50m & 100m freestyle S10 and world champion in the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke S10, Andre Brasil said:
“I want to make my dreams come true not by crossing the lines, but with my willpower. If it has to hurt, let it hurt. If you have to cry, then cry. If you have to bleed, then bleed. But I’ll always look back and see a clean and fair game, so I’ll be able to be proud of myself”
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) will provide third-party anti-doping services for the World Championships, bringing more than 20 years of experience and the latest anti-doping techniques in urine and blood sample collection.
Doping control officers from the Canadian Anti-Doping Program will collect urine and blood samples before and during the World Championships. In addition, CCES staff will be on site to provide outreach services to athletes and access to helpful anti-doping information.
“The CCES is very pleased to be providing doping control services at the IPC Swimming World Championships,” said Paul Melia, president and CEO of the CCES. “Say NO! to Doping Day helps prove what we’ve known for quite some time – athletes want clean sport and deserve to compete on a level playing field.”
Say NO! to Doping was recently embraced by the sporting community at the World Games in Cali, Colombia which ran from 25 July – 4 August.
The 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships are taking place from 12-18 August in Montreal, Canada. Featuring around 500 athletes from nearly 60 countries, it will be the biggest gathering of international swimmers since London 2012, with tickets still available from www.billets-tickets.montrealipc2013.com
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is the international independent organization created in 1999 to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms. The Agency is composed and funded equally by the sports movement and governments of the world. Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code – the first document harmonizing regulations regarding anti-doping in all sports and all countries.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC supervises the organisation of the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it oversees and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions, including swimming.
The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality. —- IPC/Photo © Swimming Canada
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