Guyana’s Dr Karen Pilgrim was recently reelected to the Executive Committee of the 18 member Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO) Sunday at the Annual general Meeting in Curacao.
Patrick Werleman, the Member Country Representative (MCR) of Aruba, was returned unopposed.
He is joined on the Executive Committee by returning Vice Chairman Dr. Adrian Lorde of Barbados along with Directors Pilgrim and Ephraim Penn of the British Virgin Islands who were all re-elected unopposed.
There is one new member on the Executive Committee in Rheeza Grant of Trinidad and Tobago who was also elected unopposed for the remaining vacant position of Director.
Werleman, following his reelection, expressed his gratitude to the members for entrusting him with a second term, particularly after the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anti-doping programmes in the Caribbean.
According to him, the main objectives of the Caribbean RADO over the next three years are to improve communication with various key stakeholders and to further develop anti-doping programmes in Member Countries.
“Every Member Country should have an active anti-doping programme that includes a solid education plan, and of course testing. These are the basic requirements for compliance with the [World Anti- Doping] Code. Education is the fundamental tool to create awareness, so this should be an area of focus in each Member Country,” he declared.
Werleman also wants to develop additional strategic partnerships to positively impact the sustainability of the Organization.
The Caribbean RADO AGM was held May 7-8 in Willemstad, Curaçao at the Renaissance Wind Creek Curaçao Resort. Seventeen (17) of the eighteen (18) Member Countries participated in the two day hybrid meeting which facilitated delegates both in-person and online.
A Sport Diplomacy Workshop was conducted on the opening day of the session by Dr. J, Simon Rofe, Sport Diplomacy expert at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London.
During the workshop, there was a special guest presentation from IOC Vice-President Nicole Hoevertsz who shared valuable knowledge on navigating relationships and building strategic partnerships at the highest levels in sport.
On Day 2, participants focused on Risk Assessment and Test Distribution Planning for the Anti-Doping Programmes in their respective countries with representatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency – María José Pesce Cutri, Director, Latin American Office; Ieva Lukosiute-Stanikuniene, Senior Manager, NADO/RADO Relations and Federico Perroni Sánchez, Manager, Latin American Office.
Werleman said that he is looking forward to even greater collaboration among Member Country Representatives.
“During the Board meeting, we took off our jackets and rolled up our sleeves and got to work, with representatives focusing on developing their testing programmes. Everyone was there to support each other. This is how we want to continue to work with our Member Country Representatives, moving forward side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder.”
“There is nothing more satisfying than making progress together. We have lots of challenges ahead, but I am totally confident that, working together, we will overcome all of these challenges and lead the Caribbean RADO to greater heights of success,” he says.
St Croix, Virgin Islands (US) has been chosen as the host of the 2023 AGM.
