4TH World Conference on Doping in Sport

Montreal – Canada, April 2, 2013 – It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport, to be held in Johannesburg November 12-15, 2013.

The World Conference, organized with the generous support of Sport and Recreation South Africa and the City of Johannesburg, is the occasion at which a revised version of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) will be endorsed by WADA’s Foundation Board. For this reason, members of the world’s anti-doping community are encouraged to attend this highly-significant event.

As you know, WADA was created in 1999 as a result of the first World Conference on Doping in Sport in Lausanne, when governments and the sports movement addressed the urgent need to intensify and harmonize efforts to combat doping in sport. It was clear that a global strategy, coordinating the resources of both sport and governments, was necessary to tackle the most significant threat sport had faced.

WADA’s first major task was to draft the Code, the core document that provides an anti-doping framework for sports organizations and public authorities throughout the world.

The Code’s development occurred in several stages over a number of years and followed an extensive consultation process. In early March 2003, at the second World Conference in Copenhagen, delegates unanimously agreed to adopt the Code and it came into force on January 1, 2004.

Experience has shown the Code to be an effective tool. However, like any living document, it requires regular review.

In 2006, WADA initiated a consultation process for the practical review of the Code and the fine-tuning of its provisions. This was carried out in a manner similar to the Code’s initial adoption in 2004, and resulted in the adoption of a revised Code at the third World Conference on Doping in Sport in Madrid. This took effect on January 1, 2009.

With the continuing aim of enhancing anti-doping programs worldwide, WADA launched in 2011 another Code consultation process based on the successful earlier formats.

This process has again allowed stakeholders to contribute to the Code’s improvement, and culminates with the presentation and endorsement of the suggested revisions to the Code during the Johannesburg Conference.

The Code works in conjunction with the five International Standards that harmonize the technical areas of anti-doping. These Standards have also been reviewed and subjected to a lengthy consultation process over the last year, and WADA looks forward to presenting the revised versions alongside the Code.

For full details on the Conference, please visit www.wada2013.org

To ensure your participation, we recommend registration by August 30, 2013. Our hosts in Johannesburg are coordinating logistics for the Conference.

We sincerely hope you will join us in Johannesburg. With your assistance and participation, the fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport will be another successful milestone in the fight against doping. —- WADA