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Montreal, 24 March 2020 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) supports the sensible decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games until next year.
WADA President Witold Bańka said: “The health and safety of the athletes remains the number-one priority for WADA and the anti-doping community, and it is clear that the correct decision has been taken in this challenging and unprecedented situation. As we all come to terms with the impact of this pandemic, it is clear that there are a number of challenges being faced related to the testing of athletes at this time. We will continue to monitor that situation to mitigate the effect of any interruptions to the program.”
As outlined in recent days, WADA is working closely with Anti-Doping Organizations, athletes and other stakeholders to ensure the integrity of the global anti-doping program is maintained as far as possible during this time and to ensure that the system returns to full power as quickly and effectively as possible once this crisis has abated. With an eye on 2021, WADA looks forward to collaborating with the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee, the local organizing committee and others to plan activities related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including pre-Games testing, education, the Independent Observer program and athlete outreach, which were in place for the 2020 Games that will now also be postponed.
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