In line with its efforts to protect clean athletes, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) has welcomed two teams of anti-doping specialists to assist and educate athletes and organisers at the 2nd European Games Minsk 2019.

Nine experts representing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), National Anti-Doping Agencies, the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation, and the International Weightlifting Federation make up the two teams as part of WADA’s Independent Observer (IO) and Athlete Outreach (AO) programmes.

The IO and AO teams will be in Minsk for the duration of the Games, which run from 21-30 June. The IO team will provide advice to organisers on all matters relating to the doping control programme, while the AO team, based at the Athletes’ Village, aims to improve the quality and credibility of the anti-doping message among athletes while providing them with important information about their responsibilities under the WADA Code and the consequences of doping.

“The European Games is an important event on the sporting calendar with 4,000 athletes from 50 European nations competing in 23 disciplines within 15 sports,” said WADA President Sir Craig Reedie. “From WADA’s perspective, it is especially important for our experienced team of observers to be present as eight of these sports will offer qualification opportunities for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.”

“A dynamic WADA AO team will also be on hand to provide an opportunity for all competitors to engage with anti-doping in an informal and fun environment. WADA’s Outreach Program raises anti-doping awareness with the world’s athletes and their support personnel, reminding them of clean sport values and asking them to reflect on all the reasons why they choose to play true.”

The IO team will observe the doping control processes during the Games and liaise with the EOC and Minsk European Games Organising Committee (EOC) on a regular basis to provide feedback and amend operations and procedures wherever needed. Following the Games, a summary of observations and recommendations for future programmes relating to the conduct of the doping-control procedures will be provided.

The EOC and WADA also agreed to survey athletes at Minsk 2019 to determine the prevalence of doping in their sports and countries. It is hoped that the study will allow the organisations to measure the effectiveness of anti-doping measures over time.