The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has unanimously approved the nomination of minister Witold Bańka as Europe’s candidate to the position of WADA President
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has unanimously approved the nomination of minister Witold Bańka as Europe’s candidate to the position of WADA President
The new head of the World Anti-Doping Agency will be announced on 14 May
In its today's meeting, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe unanimously approved the nomination of Minister Bańka as Europe’s single candidate for the position of President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Minister’s candidacy was proposed by the Ad Hoc European Committee for WADA (CAHAMA) following a voting held on 30 January this year. Minister Bańka won in the first ballot, receiving the support of a decisive majority of the delegations (28 votes, compared to 16 for Linda Helleland from Norway and 5 for Flemish sports minister Philippe Muyters).
The decision taken by the Committee of Ministers means that Minister Bańka has become the European region’s official candidate in the battle for one of the main positions in the world of sport. His competitors will be known officially by 8 March i.e. the date on which deadline for nominating the public authorities’ candidates for WADA Presidency expires. The governments intend to nominate the future head of WADA still before the World Conference on Doping in Sport to be held in Katowice in November this year. The governments’ decision on the new WADA leader will be announced on 15 May when the public authorities from all over the world appoint their candidate. This will give the future President time to better prepare for the position before he officially takes the office on 1 January 2020.
Since taking his office as Minister of Sport and Tourism, Minister Bańka has been actively taking steps against doping in sport. Since 2016, he has been conducting a fundamental reform of the national anti-doping system. As a result, a new model of adjudication on cases regarding doping in sport has been adopted, a modern, comprehensive and globally recognizable Polish Anti-Doping Agency has been established, and an independent Polish Anti-Doping Laboratory has been launched. Thanks to Minister Bańka’s initiatives Poland has one of the most advanced anti-doping legislation systems in the world and an efficient anti-doping programme. Compared to 2015, the budget of the national anti-doping organization (POLADA at present, and the Commission Against Doping in Sport before) has increased by almost four times. Since May 2017, Minister Bańka has been a member of the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency where he represents the European continent. He was unanimously elected as the Committee member by all the Council of Europe member states.
Already last summer Minister Bańka announced his intention to run for the position of President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He also presented his manifesto indicating the necessary reforms he plans to implement if elected to the office. The manifesto contains, in particular, the postulate to strengthen the network of National Anti-doping Organizations. Statistics show that nearly half of the countries represented in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016 had no such national platforms for combating doping in sport at that time. One of the proposed sources of funding of NADOs’ activities is the Anti-Doping Solidarity Fund comprising e.g. sponsors’ funds not yet used for the purpose of fighting against doping in sport. The key project financed by the Fund would be anti-doping partnerships. Within them, well-developed NADOs would support their less successful counterparts operating in other countries. Minister Bańka has also announced a more proactive approach to the establishment of new WADA accredited anti-doping laboratories, in particular in those regions of the world where there is a shortage of such facilities (at present, Africa has only one such laboratory). The other points of Minister Bańka's manifesto highlight the need for improved communication, for athletes’ greater engagement in the fight against doping, including the management of WADA and of National Anti-Doping Organizations, as well as close cooperation with all stakeholders. As a candidate for the presidency of WADA, Minister Bańka also plans to place strong emphasis on education and the implementation of good governance standards in the entire anti-doping system.