With the signing of a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on anti-doping and public health concerns, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and WHO are now able to collaborate and share information on these topics.
WADA President Witold Baka and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus signed the MOU in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The use of performance-enhancing substances can harm athletes and certainly harms sport and those who look up to athletes as role models. Keeping sport clean, therefore, has benefits beyond the sporting arena for the health and well-being of individuals and societies everywhere,” stated Tedros.
According to a joint release from the two organizations, the agreement, which will be in effect until October 1, 2027, establishes a framework for cooperation between the two to advance their shared objectives, particularly in the areas of health promotion, the abolition of new drugs, and the promotion of clean sports.
Tedros noted that WHO’s collaboration with WADA demonstrated its dedication to collaborating closely with the sports industry to promote more physical activity all around the world and healthier lives for everyone.
The MoU went over the prevention and assessment of health risks associated with psychoactive substance use and related disorders, with a focus on doping compounds and substance use among athletes, as well as awareness raising and advocacy for clean sport and substance misuse prevention worldwide.
This collaboration therefore hopes to raise awareness through education initiatives with the support of goodwill ambassadors and influencers to drive positive change, and plans to further work on preventing substandard and falsified medical products, including identification of new emerging psychoactive drugs through the sharing of information, mutual support, and engagement with sport federations.
The two organizations call for reporting on abuse and misuse of falsified and substandard medical products in sports.