At its biannual meeting last month, the board of the International Testing Agency welcomed Ms Dagmawit Girmay Berhane and reviewed progress on the 2023–2026 strategic plan. As of June, 91 percent of the 152 projects had either been completed or were underway.
Berhane succeeds Professor Uğur Erdener, who had held the role since the ITA’s founding. Recognised in 2023 as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women, Berhane served as president of the Ethiopian Olympic Committee between 2004 and 2008. She currently holds several positions within the International Olympic Committee, including membership of the Human Rights Advisory and the Audit Committee.
“After many years of service within the Olympic Movement, I deeply value the principles of fairness, respect, and integrity that unite athletes worldwide. I look forward to supporting the ITA’s efforts to uphold these values through independent and collaborative anti-doping initiatives that athletes can trust,” she said.
The ITA Foundation Board comprises four independent members, including Chair Dr Valérie Fourneyron, as well as three members representing athletes, the IOC and international sports federations. The World Anti-Doping Agency also participates in the meetings as a non-voting observer.
During the meeting, the foundation congratulated Kirsty Coventry on her election as IOC president and thanked outgoing President Thomas Bach. The board also acknowledged the re-election of Witold Bańka and Yang Yang as president and vice-president of WADA, respectively.
The ITA briefed the board on its contribution to the consultation process for the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards, due to be adopted at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Busan, South Korea, later this year. The ITA strongly emphasised the importance of protecting athletes’ rights to compete in a doping-free sport, as well as promoting health, fairness and equality. The board stressed that no country or international federation should tolerate or legitimise sporting events in which doping is permitted or encouraged.
“As we welcome Ms Dagmawit Berhane, we reaffirm our collective responsibility to protect clean athletes and ensure that the core values of fairness and equality remain central to all sporting events. The 2027 World Anti-Doping Code represents an opportunity for the global community to recommit to these principles,” said Dr Fourneyron.
She reiterated the importance of independent anti-doping governance, emphasising the value of delegating such responsibilities to an organisation like the ITA. She also welcomed the ongoing discussions within WADA’s Working Group on the operational independence of national anti-doping organisations.
In his report on the 2023–2026 strategic plan, ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen highlighted several key initiatives gaining momentum. These include the implementation of anti-doping programmes at major events, such as the 2025 Winter Asian Games in Harbin, and preparations already underway for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Other achievements reviewed during the meeting included forming new partnerships with international sports federations, such as the International Federation of American Football, the International Skating Union and the International Padel Federation. Notable progress was also reported in anti-doping education: 70 webinars were delivered to 15,360 participants and 60 in-person sessions were held across 199 countries. All annual figures for 2024 showed increases. The anti-doping programme for the upcoming World Games in Chengdu in 2025 is already underway.
(Inside The Games)
