One Team for Clean Sport: The ITA supports youth athletes to keep sport real at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Around 1,900 young athletes aged 15-18 years old from 80 countries are set to take part in Gangwon 2024 from 19 January to 1 February. They will participate in 81 events across 7 sports and 15 disciplines. The ITA and WADA have joined forces to raise awareness and deliver clean sport education for athletes and their entourage at the Games. This ‘One Team for Clean Sport’ initiative is part of the wider International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete Education Programme (AEP) which is a key pillar of the Youth Olympic Games.

During the Games, clean sport education activities will be hosted by ITA Education Ambassadors with further athlete engagement offered by WADA and its Athlete Council Members as well as other Olympians in both villages. Members of the Korean Anti-Doping Agency’s (KADA) Athlete Committee will also participate in delivering the program. The ITA will be leading on the education aspect, WADA on athlete engagement. All athletes and their entourage are strongly encouraged to visit and complete fun and interactive clean sport education activities and to ask any anti-doping questions, as well as help promote the values of clean sport among their peers. The objective is to equip youth athletes with the relevant practical knowledge on how to navigate their rights and responsibilities when it comes to anti-doping and to empower them for their clean sport journey for Gangwon 2024 and beyond.

“There is no better and more symbolic place than the Youth Olympic Games to stand by and promote alongside the young athletes the principles of clean sport, fair play, and integrity.,” expresses ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “We are pleased to collaborate with WADA on this program and to receive support from KADA, ensuring a collective commitment to the values of fair play. This event marks the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games that the ITA has been leading since Lausanne 2020, where we implemented clean sport education workshops and managed the anti-doping program. Our dedicated and passionate team of staff and ambassadors look forward to providing support for the participating young athletes in their pursuit of clean sport, with a particular emphasis on anti-doping education complementing the testing program. This holds special significance as over 75% of these young athletes have never undergone doping control procedures before. ”

The ITA has also published a Clean Sport Education Guide for National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for Gangwon 2024 in November 2023 in collaboration with the IOC and WADA. It provides targeted signposts, resources and inspiration for educating youth athletes prior to their participation in the Winter Youth Olympic Games, following the principle that an athlete’s first experience with anti-doping should be through education rather than doping control. The ITA has also collaborated with WADA for the development of its interactive education course ‘Talented Athletes Competing at a Major Event’ which is available on WADA’s Anti-Doping Education and Learning Platform (ADEL). The course is intended to provide anti-doping education to young athletes who are preparing to attend a Major Event in a way that is accessible to them. Furthermore, the ITA dedicated its December monthly webinar to the topic of ‘Clean Sport for Youth Athletes’ with a special focus on young athletes competing in Gangwon.

The ITA is entrusted with the independent management of the Olympic anti-doping program on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In Gangwon it will deliver a comprehensive anti-doping program in collaboration with the Korean Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) as sample collection partner and with the support of the Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee. The ITA will carry out in- and out-of-competition doping controls based on a bespoke risk assessment established for the event and is also responsible for the results management of any potential cases arising from its testing program and the administration of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs), amongst other aspects. Any suspicions regarding doping can be shared at any time with the ITA through its confidential platform REVEAL. All of the ITA’s clean sport activities will be executed in strict compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to Gangwon 2024.