November 29, 2013 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently elected Sir Craig Reedie as its next President at a meeting of its Foundation Board at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa. WADA confirmed that Reedie would become the third President of WADA since the organization was formed in 1999, taking over from Australian John Fahey who began his term almost six years ago.
Reedie is a member of WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board, and has also served as Chair of the Organization’s Finance and Administration Committee since 1999. He will begin his term by replacing John Fahey from January 1, 2014. The 72-year-old Scot, a former Chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) and current Vice President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was elected by the IOC in September as the sporting movement’s preferred candidate for WADA President.
“It is an honour to be asked to lead this international organization, and a challenge that I look forward to,” said Reedie.
“Much has happened over the course of the past 14 years since WADA was formed. I look forward to using the experience I have gained throughout my time in sport, and that gained during my time as the Chair of WADA’s Finance and Administration Committee, to continue to take WADA, and the anti-doping movement, forward. All my efforts have been – and will be – to defend the rights of clean athletes.”
Alongside the appointment of Reedie, WADA also announced the election of H.E. Mr. M.A. Stofile as the organization’s next Vice President. Stofile will also begin his term on January 1, 2014. The 68-year-old South African, who served on WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board from 2004 – 2010, replaces Arne Ljungqvist who has served as WADA’s Vice President since 2008.
“I am delighted to have been chosen as the next Vice President of WADA”, said Stofile. “I have long been an advocate of anti-doping and clean sport, and having served on WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board for six years, I have been fortunate to have seen both the organization and the movement evolve.
“I look forward to this opportunity of helping WADA to continue the fight against doping in sport in the years to come.”
Resolution at World Conference to Strengthen Fight against Doping in Sport
The sports movement and governments of the world renewed their joint commitment to the fight against doping in Johannesburg by adopting a resolution and approving the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and four accompanying International Standards (IS).
The World Conference endorsed the revised World Anti-Doping Code in a bid to ensure the continuation and strengthening of harmonious anti-doping programs worldwide. Ever since its initial adoption by sport and government in 2003, the Code has acted as the global framework for a consistent, standardized approach to tackling doping right across the world. In a meeting held prior to the World Conference’s adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration, WADA’s Foundation Board unanimously approved the revisions to enhance the Code, and with it helped send a strong message of intent to the world’s sporting community.
“At this, the Fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport, the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration will be seen as a major milestone in the fight against doping in the years to come,” said WADA President John Fahey. “Through the acceptance of the Code and International Standards in South Africa this week, the anti-doping community has left its mark and demonstrated the renewed commitment that both government and the sport movement have towards putting the rights of clean athletes ahead of all others in the years ahead.
The Resolution marks the end of a two-year journey, through which the Code has been strengthened and refined following extensive input from stakeholders. The Code Review process included four rounds of consultation resulting in 4,000 proposed changes and four successive draft revisions. The process for participating in the consultations was made public and transparent via WADA’s website and communication to stakeholders. Each draft revision of the Code was published online along with the official submissions made by stakeholders in response to the drafts.
“The Code Review process alone has shown the true resolve of the anti-doping community, and its willingness to be a part of shaping the future of anti-doping in sport,” said John Fahey. The result of this process is that we now have a Code which, I believe, offers the best response to combatting the scourge of doping yet: stronger sanctions while maintaining flexibility, greater investigative powers for WADA, a stronger focus on the sharing of information between the sport movement and governments, intelligent testing and risk assessment in relation to different sports, and fair consideration of an athlete’s human rights. These particular themes will help us in our efforts in the years ahead.
“We have now put in place an excellent set of rules, and these will require excellent practice from all stakeholders to ensure we catch the cheats and make the sports world a fairer world for the vast majority, the clean athletes,” added Fahey.
The Fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport was organized by WADA with the support of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ). Over 1,000 representatives of public authorities, the sport movement, the anti-doping community, athletes, observers and media convened to review the major advances that have been made in the fight against doping since WADA’s inception in 1999, and to help shape the future of anti-doping in sport.