World Anti-Doping Agency

In February 1999, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) convened the World Conference on Doping in Sport. The conference proposed the formation of an organization to police doping violations and in November 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency was established in Lausanne, Switzerland. WADA was formed in response to the proliferation of doping, or drug use in sports. Its express purpose is to oversee drug testing in sports, educate athletes against the use of drugs, and to eventually eliminate doping.

The first president of WADA was the Canadian IOC Member Dick Pound, who served two terms through 2007, and was succeeded by former Australian minister of finance, John Fahey (President 2008-13). Craig Reedie served as President of WADA from 2014-19, followed by Poland’s Witold Bańka, who took over as President in 2020. WADA is composed of a Foundation Board, an Executive Committee, a Board of Directors, and several working committees. The Foundation Board is the decision making body of WADA, but it delegates management of the agency to the Executive Committee.

WADA annually publishes a uniform list of prohibited substances, the World Anti-Doping Code of anti-doping principles, established and recognized specific drug-testing laboratories, and has been responsible for getting virtually all sports federations to be cognizant of the need to eliminate drugs in sport, and to that end, to test diligently for doping by athletes, both in and out of competition, by accepting the uniform code.