UKAD hosted education webinars for the Caribbean RADO

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) hosted two webinars for the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (CARADO). The online sessions, held in late November and early December, focused on education and the implementation of the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code to assist the organisation to build its capacity.

As part of its international strategy, UKAD identified the CARADO as a key international partner, with many of its members being British Overseas Territories or members of the Commonwealth. In addition to the CARADO, UKAD is working to develop a strategic alliance with other national anti-doping organisations (NADOs) to support in the development of their anti-doping capacities, which will aid British athletes training or competing in these regions.

Speaking on the session with the CARADO, Emily Robinson UKAD Director of Strategy and Education said, “With the 2021 Code coming into force in a matter of weeks, it’s important that all anti-doping organisations are ready to implement it on 1 January. With strong connections between Britain and the Caribbean and of course many British athletes who train and compete in that area, it’s important that UKAD offers our expertise where we can.

“With the UK set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022, working to support competing commonwealth nations in places like the Caribbean with their anti-doping education will be a key priority for our international work over the next 18 months.”

Patrick Werleman, Chairman of the Caribbean RADO commented: “The World Anti-Doping Code stipulates as a responsibility of Anti-Doping Organisations to cooperate and collaborate with other anti-doping organisations. These series of webinars were an excellent example of such cooperation and collaboration.

As UKAD has a wealth of knowledge on anti-doping, we were extremely happy to have their support in developing and providing the webinars. We look forward to continuing this collaboration in the future.”

The Education webinar, led by Colin Allen UKAD Education Programme Manager, set out to develop the Caribbean Education Programmes. The webinar focused on:

• Preparing Caribbean countries for the requirements of the new International Standard for Education

• Helping to create education pathways that cater to athletes of different levels

• Identifying systems of support that Caribbean NADOs can use within their own countries to provide education programmes

• Identifying the key challenges faced by Caribbean countries and work to establish potential solutions

The second session was centred around the 2021 Code implementation, led by Samuel Pool UKAD Code Implementation Project Manager. The webinar detailed the requirements for NADOs under the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code. The objectives of the webinar focused on:

• Providing a summary of key changes within the 2021 WAD Code

• Providing an overview of the practical steps taken by UKAD to ensure compliance with the 2021 WAD Code

• Detailing changes in key topics, as identified by the Caribbean RADO members, including athlete rights and responsibilities, Therapeutic Use Exemptions, anti-doping rule violations and sanctions