The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honorable Olivia Grange, has announced that Jamaica will again host the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Forum for Caribbean Ministers of Sport.

Minister Grange says that several Ministers have already confirmed their attendance to the Forum — to be held from January 16-17, 2024 — and at which the WADA President, Witold Bańka will make an address and lead discussions.

Minister Grange, fresh from her first meeting of the WADA Foundation Board as the representative of countries in the Americas, is also slated to address the Forum. 

“At the upcoming Forum we will report on the progress we have made as countries and as a region in implementing the anti-doping action plan that we discussed at last January’s Forum right here in Kingston,” said Minister Grange.

“Additionally, we will discuss a number of clean sport issues and initiatives including, athlete education, strengthening national anti-doping organisations in the region, and the critical process of updating the WADA code,” she added.

It’s the third consecutive year that WADA is meeting with Ministers of Sport in the Caribbean to discuss anti-doping matters.  

Minister Grange says Jamaica has been happy to mobilize countries, on behalf of WADA, to the meetings which have facilitated cooperation and collaboration towards a stronger anti-doping programme in the region.

Ministers from the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago are among representatives from 18 countries that are expected to participate in the WADA Forum at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

“We expect full representation, again, from all the countries in our region at this very important Forum.  We are each at varying stages of the development of our anti-doping in sports programme, but each of our countries is deeply committed to learning from each other and working together to keep sports clean.” 

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that Jamaica will host a World Anti-Doping Agency Forum in January in Kingston.

The Forum will target Ministers of Sport in the Caribbean and will be attended by the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Witold Bańka,

Minister Grange said it will be the second WADA Forum specifically for sports ministers in the Caribbean and is a follow-up to an online Forum that was held in October.

“At that online Forum, Jamaica — because of our leadership position in anti-doping in the region — offered technical guidance to other countries and WADA also agreed to support capacity building and cooperation among nations. So, this Forum from January 26 to 27 will build on our discussions from October and will also see some delegates touring JADCO facilities as part of a study tour,” said Minister Grange. 

19 Ministers of Sport and their delegations are scheduled to attend the Forum.

Minister Grange said the Forum would help to “advance the development of a plan of action for anti-doping programmes across the Caribbean with the aim of keeping sports clean.”