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Strengthening relationships at the WADA Global Education Conference

3 Oct 2022

Relationship building and clean sport collaboration

Our Athlete Services team had an inspiring week when several of them flew across the ditch to attend the WADA Education Conference, hosted in Sydney by Sport Integrity Australia.

GM Athlete Services Dr Sian Clancy had a particularly busy few days. She moved seamlessly from WADA Education Committee participation to delivering conference presentations (‘Education through a new lens: A NADO perspective’) to facilitating discussions between regional NADOs and RADOs to appearing on a podcast discussing supplements with Cassie Fein, an Australian athlete who was sanctioned for use of a prohibited substance from supplement use. Never one to under-commit, Sian filled her conference breaks with poster presentations discussing her recent publication, ‘The role of personal commitment to integrity in clean sport and anti-doping'.

Education Manager Sally Lowe joined Sian to discuss education plan development with NADO representatives from Canada and Austria. Sally and Sian spoke to the athlete pathway here in New Zealand, and to the factors – particularly cultural – that contribute to plan setting and delivery.

Finally, on Innovation Day, Sally and Sian were joined by Education Quality Advisor and former Silver Fern Jodi Brown and Sport Operations Coordinator Zara Rotohiko. The team delivered a presentation on our Clean Sport Values Youth Education Programme, sharing the rationale, content and key messages with a very invested audience.

And through it all, the team – including Sport Operations Coordinator and former Silver Fern Erikana Pedersen – operated an outreach programme, taking every opportunity to network and share our key messages with conference attendees.

The whole experience rounded off nicely when the team – accompanied by DFNSZ Chief Executive Nick Paterson, WADA and DFSNZ athlete representative Ben Sandford and DFSNZ Athlete Commission member Tracey Lambrechs – met WADA President Witold Bańka.

Dr Clancy summarised the experience: “The conference was inspiring. Everyone there was committed to the same goal: clean athletes and clean sport. Time strengthening relationships and collaboration with our peers from across the anti-doping world was incredibly valuable.”