The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced its plan to promote clean sport during the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana.
WADA will have its Athlete Engagement and Major Event Anti-Doping Legacy (MEAL) Programme teams on site for the Games, which will run from 8-23 March.
The 13th edition of the Games will feature more than 5,000 athletes from around 50 countries competing across 30 disciplines.
Director of WADA’s Africa Office, Rodney Swigelaar, said: “We look forward to running our Athlete Engagement and MEAL programmes in Accra. The African Games represent an important opportunity for WADA to connect with athletes from across the continent.
“The Athlete Engagement team, which will be led by African athletes, will have the important task of engaging with athletes and their support personnel throughout the event. The MEAL programme will play a role in connecting with anti-doping practitioners and furthering capacity among the region’s Anti-Doping Organisations.”
The African Games will also represent a milestone as it coincides with the establishment of a National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) for Ghana, which is still in its developmental stage.
Her Excellency Minata Samate Cessouma, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and Africa representative on WADA’s Executive Committee, said: “The African Union Commission is eager to welcome athletes from across the continent to this edition of the African Games.
“In preparing for the Games, we have been coordinating with WADA to ensure a steady growth of the region’s anti-doping capacity. We are pleased that these Games will take place in Ghana, as they represent a watershed moment in laying the foundation for the eventual establishment of the Ghana Anti-Doping Agency.
“Working collaboratively with WADA has allowed us to build anti-doping capacity and implement the technical aspects of the programme, which will leave a lasting legacy in this region for years to come.”
Mr. Swigelaar added: “These Games are the culmination of the work of the local organizations who have made great efforts in the leadup to the event. They will also serve as a reminder of how much stronger the anti-doping program has become in this region compared to what was in place at previous editions. WADA is looking forward to what promises to be a great celebration of African sport in Ghana.”
High Level Forum on Anti-Doping in Sport in Africa
Prior to the start of the African Games, the African Union Commission (AUC), with support from WADA, will host a High-Level Forum on Anti-Doping in Sport on 7 March 2024.
The forum will be attended by African Sport Ministers and other high-ranking Government officials, leaders from the African Sport Movement, Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (RADOs), NADOs and other clean sport stakeholders.
The event will serve as a consultation and information sharing session, while also providing an opportunity for networking and anti-doping policy development across the continent.
Mr. Swigelaar said: “The anti-doping forum scheduled to take place during the African Games promises to be impactful and informative. Assessing and discussing anti-doping topics and deliberating African solutions to issues of doping in the African context is important.
“The workshop will provide another opportunity to further promote the work being done to develop anti-doping programme capacity, while also highlighting the importance of increased Government investment in African anti-doping organizations, in addition to placing the spotlight on greater cooperation between the African public authorities and the African Sports Movement.”
“The Athlete Engagement team, which will be led by African athletes, will have the important task of engaging with athletes and their support personnel throughout the event. The MEAL programme will play a role in connecting with anti-doping practitioners and furthering capacity among the region’s Anti-Doping Organisations.”
Rodney Swigelaar, Director of WADA’s Africa Office.
Athlete Engagement
WADA’s Athlete Engagement team present at the African Games will deliver the ‘One Play True Team’ campaign while raising awareness and promoting clean sport.
The Programme also includes an important legacy aspect thanks to the banners and promotional resources that will be left behind for engagement activities at future events held in the region.
The athlete-led team includes:
- Ganzi Semu Mugala (Uganda), President of the Uganda Olympians Association, Uganda Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission chairperson and Olympic swimmer;
- Ngon Ntama (Cameroon), President of the Cameroon Olympic and Sports Committee Athletes’ Commission, Vice-President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and Olympic volleyball player;
- Khotso Mokoena (South Africa), President of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission and 2008 Olympic silver medalist in long jump; and
- Nathalie Bashala (Democratic Republic of the Congo), WADA Africa Office Manager.
MEAL Programme
As part of its efforts to support Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) globally, members of WADA’s staff have been supporting preparations for the event and will be present throughout the African Games to implement the Agency’s legacy initiative, the MEAL Program.
The MEAL Programme focuses on supporting the development of anti-doping programs by Major Events Organizations and other key stakeholders, while promoting clean sport in regions of the world where anti-doping activity is otherwise limited. At the African Games, the MEAL Programme will focus on:
- Supporting capacity building of local Sample Collection Personnel (16 Doping Control Officers [DCOs], 20 chaperones, 23 educators) who will gain experience in preparation for future involvement in the national anti-doping programme;
- Facilitating the involvement of 15 international DCOs and other experts from the continent to increase the know-how in the region and create bridges towards future editions of the Games;
- Strengthening the structures and operations of the African Union Commission as a new Signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code; and
- Deploying an advisory team during the event to support the implementation of the anti-doping programme.
“The African Games will be the MEAL Programme’s largest event to date. The Programme’s objective is to offer high-quality support to the different stakeholders involved in the delivery of Games’ anti-doping programme,” said Valentin Capelli, WADA Manager, Sport Movement Relations and MEAL Programme Leader.
“We will be looking to build on the achievements of the MEAL Programme that was implemented at three major events during 2023, including the Francophonie Games, which were held in the in the Democratic Republic of the Congo six months ago.
“Ultimately, the MEAL Programme will make an impact not only on these African Games. It will build a strong foundation and leave a legacy that will carry into future events held in the region.”
“The MEAL Programme has made a tangible impact at each event where it has been implemented, and we look forward to having similar success at the African Games,” he added.
