On November 3 and 4, 2022, a delegation from Ukraine visited the headquarters of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency in Warsaw. The meeting of experts from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the National Anti-Doping Center with their Polish colleagues took place within the framework of the cooperation agreement that the national anti-doping organizations of the two countries signed earlier this year. The meeting took place in the format of a training, which gave an opportunity to specialists from different areas of ​​anti-doping to obtain the necessary knowledge, useful tips and practical skills.

The work started with a report by POLADA director Michal Rynkowski, who presented the structure of the Polish NADO, the roles, responsibilities and functions of its executives, that ensure the independence of decision-making on operational activities, as well as the strategy for the distribution of responsibilities between employees and how to prevent conflicts of interest. In addition, representatives of both Ukrainian entities received information about the development of international cooperation in the field of anti-doping and the importance of establishing such cooperation among all interested parties at the national level.

Further, the work was carried out by separate groups according to the specific direction of anti-doping activity they are engaged in. Specialists of the of test planning, results management and investigations departments of NADC interacted with colleagues from the relevant departments of POLADA. The issues of establishing effective cooperation among these departments were also discussed, because it is crucial for the establishment of the effective anti-doping program of each NADO.

An effective fight against doping in sports aims not only to find and punish those who violate anti-doping rules, but also to prevent such behavior. Therefore, the implementation of an effective anti-doping education program for different target groups was also discussed.

In addition to training and gaining practical experience, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Polish anti-doping laboratory, which has WADA accreditation and the authority to analyze athletes’ samples. Currently, the samples of Ukrainian athletes are analyzed precisely in the Warsaw laboratory, so a detailed acquaintance with its work will give Ukrainian anti-doping specialists a fuller and clearer understanding of all the processes of anti-doping activity: starting from doping-control to samples analyses and results management.

The two-day training ended with a Q&A session, during which each participant had the opportunity to ask questions and receive comprehensive answers from specialists of one of the most effective NADOs in Europe.