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15 March 2024
The 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Arecibo, Puerto Rico showed exciting competitions and emphasised education on clean sport practices. With over 260 surfers from 55 countries competing to secure their tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the event prominently featured an ITA clean sport education booth.
Maria Peredo Silva, ITA’s Education Ambassador, hosted the booth for four days during the Word Surfing Games. Situated in the Athlete Tent with a stunning view of the Arecibo waves, Maria engaged with athletes, coaches and other support personnel to educate them on their rights and responsibilities regarding anti-doping.
“Surfing is a sport where the ages of athletes vary greatly, from teenagers to forty-somethings who are still at the top of their sport. Many of them already know quite a bit about clean sport, but some others know only the basics” – Maria said. “I found that many athletes were not aware of the importance of checking the medications’ labels every single time, so reinforcing the principle of strict liability was a key thing to do.”
From substances on the Prohibited List, through checking medication labels, to making informed decisions on supplements, the booth provided valuable information to visitors of all ages.
Interactive activities and a clean sport quiz added a fun element to the educational experience as athletes embraced the importance of competing fairly and ethically, and continued to ride the waves of competition.
