Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, Mr Fikile Mbalula and the City of Johannesburg's Executive Mayor, Councillor Parks Tau, will represent their respective organisations at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of agreement, towards the hosting of the 4th World Anti-Doping Conference to be held in Johannesburg. Both Minister Mbalula and Councillor Tau, will address the media after the signing ceremony.
In November 2010, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chose South Africa as a preferred host of the Conference. Other bidders included Dallas (USA), Ljubljana (Slovenia), and Sochi (Russia).
Full background to the conference is attached at the end.
The details of the signing ceremony are as follows:
Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 08h30 for 09h00
Venue: The Michelangelo, Sandton (Gauteng)
For enquiries:
Paena Galane
Cell: 079 509 9833
Fred Mokoko
Cell: 082 447 8407
City of Johannesburg
Fact sheet on the 4th World Anti-Doping Conference
1. Background
a) On Sunday, 21 November 2010, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board, decided at their meeting held in Canada, on the host for the 2013 World Conference on Doping in Sport.
b) Having competed against USA (Dallas), Slovenia (Ljubljana), and Russia (Sochi), South Africa emerged as the winning country to host the Conference – the 4th on the WADA calendar. This success meant that the City whose bid was put forward to WADA on behalf of South Africa – City of Johannesburg (Gauteng Province), would host the Conference.
c) The City of Johannesburg's bid was in response to an invitation from the Minister of Sport and Recreation, to Cities to submit a proposal to host the conference. In submitting their bid, the City had committed itself to support WADA and the government of South Africa in delivering a conference that is "unique and comprehensive, by offering the conveners and participants world class facilities which are environmentally friendly".
d) The conference is organised by Sport & Recreation South Africa and the City of Johannesburg, which is also the host City.
e) This 4th World Conference on doping in sport will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Sandton, Gauteng – South Africa. The previous WADA conferences were hosted by Lausanne, Switzerland (1999), Copenhagen, Denmark (2003) and Madrid, Spain (2007).
f) The conference is a culmination of a series of consultations of various sectors with an interest in anti-doping. Key among the decisions to be taken at the Conference is the endorsement of the reviewed WADA Code, which is according to WADA, “the core document that provides the framework for harmonised anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organisations and among public authorities.
g) Previous experience in the review of the WADA Code has shown that it results in “an even stronger, more robust tool to ensure that all athletes benefit from the same anti-doping procedures and protections, no matter the sport, the nationality, or the country where tested, so that, in the end, athletes may participate in competition that is safe and fair”.
h) The Code is said to work “in conjunction with five International Standards aimed at bringing harmonisation among anti-doping organizations in various areas: testing, laboratories, Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs), the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, and for the protection of privacy and personal information”. The Code is available on the WADA Website.
i) The conference will open and close with an opening and closing ceremonies and attended by an estimated 3000 invited guests. The ceremonies will be attended by a range of WADA delegates and dignitaries; politicians; senior government officials; sport officials; private sector; academics; athletes; the media; sport federations and non-governmental organisations, among others.
j) Among the events preceding the Conference, are the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Sport & Recreation South Africa (on behalf of South Africa), and WADA – an event that has already taken place. The second event is the signing of a MoA by the Sport & Recreation Director-General, Mr Alec Moemi and the host city, City of Johannesburg’s Manager, Mr Trevor Fowler. The event is scheduled for 26 April 2012, in Sandton, Gauteng. The ceremony will be witnessed by Sport & Recreation SA’s Minister, Mr Fikile Mbalula and the City’s Executive Mayor, clr Parks Tau, both of whom will address the media.
k) South Africa’s involvement in WADA matters is not a new occurrence. The South African Government made a formal commitment to the WADA Code and formally recognised the role of WADA through the Copenhagen Declaration of Anti-Doping in Sport (2003).
l) The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) is the statutory body established by Government with the responsibility to promote and support the elimination of doping in Sport in South Africa. SAIDS are supporting the hosting of the 2013 WADA Conference on Doping in Sport.
2. Context
a) The WADA Conference is an international event that presents an opportunity to South Africa to reinforce the positive international perceptions associated with the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the 123rd IOC Session held in Durban in 2011.
b) Hosting the event also forms part of South Africa’s strategy to attract major international events and meetings to the country. South Africa seeks to leverage such events as potential contributors to the economy and job creation in particular.
c) The successful hosting of the first African World Cup and the 123rd IOC Session among other major events, provided an opportunity to both South Africa and the continent to be strategically repositioned as a destination of choice for tourism and business initiatives.
d) Also, the meetings and conferences that are being hosted in South Africa, attract thousands of international delegates into the country. Thus generating millions in revenue.
e) Such events naturally provide opportunities for international visitors across various walks of life and networks of influence to experience the country first-hand and see socio-economic development in progress.
f) The conference will attract international attention to South Africa and the City of Johannesburg in particular, as the host.
g) The event is also an opportunity for the country and SAIDS in particular, to showcase the anti-doping initiatives taken in an effort to eradicate the use of performance-enhancing substances in sport.
