Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur addressed the inaugural session of the three-day “WADA Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Symposium-2022″ in New Delhi today. This symposium is organized by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the National Drug Testing Laboratory (NDTL). Sports Secretary Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, DG National Anti-Doping Agency Ms. Ritu Sain, Associate Director (Athlete Biological Passport) World Anti-Doping Agency, Dr. Reid Aikin, Director of Asia and Oceania Office World Anti-Doping Agency Mr. Kazugiro Hayashi and Senior Manager World Anti-Doping Agency Dr. Norbert Baume also celebrated the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur said that organizing ABP Symposium for the first time in our history is more special for us as we are celebrating 75th year of Indian Independence as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is constantly reaching new heights in the global sports landscape, he said. Shri Thakur emphasized that an athlete’s biological passport is a very important scientific tool in anti-doping and related research provides the world with an opportunity to not only detect but also deter doping in sports.
He hoped that this symposium would prove to be a major milestone not only in the development and strengthening of ABP, but also in our common fight against doping. The Union Minister urged all participants to use this opportunity to equip themselves with knowledge, tools, research and expertise that would enable us to protect our athletes and the entire sports ecosystem from the menace of doping. This symposium will enable us to strengthen the anti-doping program in India.
Shri Thakur informed that the Government of India has recently enacted an anti-doping statute called the National Anti-Doping Act 2022, which is our long-term goal as a sign of India’s unwavering commitment to the global anti-doping movement. The Act is a manifestation of the Government of India’s strong commitment to clean sports at all levels in the country.
Shri Thakur added that we have increased our contribution to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the last one year and our contribution is 4th highest in Asia. We are also a significant contributor to the UNESCO Voluntary Fund. “To ensure that our athletes are protected from inadvertent doping due to the consumption of nutritional supplements with banned substances, NADA is collaborating with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” added the Union Minister.
The Union Minister further informed that inclusive information content has been developed for disabled athletes. Anti-doping education modules in sign language based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles are not only useful for athletes with disabilities in India but anywhere in the world. NADA India shares these resources with other NADOs in Asia. The main topics of discussion at this symposium will be recent trends, successes and challenges with ABP, management of confounding factors affecting the steroid module, evolving strategic testing for ABP, etc. and will help WADA work to detect and eradicate doping in sport through the APMU.
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