WADA and partners lead the way in anti-doping education ahead of Olympic and Paralympic Games

As part of its Strategic Priority to be athlete-centered, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), has been leading the way in sensitizing the best athletes of the world ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games - from an anti-doping education perspective.

Launched in July 2020 and February 2021, respectively, the 'ADEL for Tokyo Olympics ' and 'ADEL for Tokyo Paralympics' pre-Games education programs for athletes and coaches participating in the Tokyo Games are available on WADA's Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform (ADEL). Athletes and coaches taking the courses gain an understanding of the Tokyo 2020 anti-doping rules, procedures, and requirements - including how to check medications and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), how to provide whereabouts information, and explanations of the athletes' rights and responsibilities during the testing process. The course also allows athletes and coaches to identify key information, such as important dates that they need to be aware of and which organization has jurisdiction over them during the Games.

The courses have been very well received so far, with Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs), National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees investing in educating their teams pre-Games, in line with a core principle of the International Standard for Education that requires athletes and their coaches to be educated in advance of the Games.

WADA Director of Education, Amanda Hudson, said: 'We have been delighted to work in partnership with the International Olympic Committee, the International Testing Agency and the International Paralympic Committee to help our stakeholders prepare their athletes and coaches for the Tokyo Summer Games, and work has already started on our efforts to do the same for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

'With the efforts and commitment of many Anti-Doping Organizations around the world, we were able to make our Tokyo courses available in a variety of languages - 17 languages for the Olympics course and 11 for the Paralympics - and this has really made a difference. To date, there have been just under 8,000 athletes and coaches educated through our ADEL for Tokyo Olympics course, which is a significant achievement. Furthermore, with the Paralympics yet to start, we are currently at over 1,770 athletes and coaches educated for the ADEL for Tokyo Paralympics. We encourage Anti-Doping Organizations, National Paralympic Committees and any athletes and coaches attending the Paralympic Games to register with ADEL and take the course as soon as possible. A small investment of time now can protect an athlete's career. We at WADA are grateful to all those who have contributed to these pre-Games education efforts so far, especially the 9,770 who have engaged in anti-doping education as part of their pre-Games preparation.'

The courses are accessible on WADA's ADEL platform under the Major Events Education catalogue. For athletes and coaches who would like to 'learn on the go', the ADEL by WADA mobile App can be downloaded from the App Store and from Google Play.

WADA thanks all of the ADOs that committed their time to translate the Tokyo courses into their native languages for the benefits of their Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Find out more about WADA's Education Programs on ADEL.