WADA celebrates Play True Day 2020

Montreal: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is celebrating the Play True Day 2020 today, which is dedicated to clean sport and is aimed at raising awareness among athletes, the sporting public and others about the importance of protecting it.

Since 2014, WADA and the anti-doping community worldwide have celebrated ‘Play True Day’. WADA celebrates the day with athletes, national and regional anti-doping organizations, sports federations, major event organizers and other anti-doping stakeholders from the global clean sport community.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year WADA is celebrating the day around the theme ‘Play Safe on Play True Day 2020’.

“The inspiration for Play True Day stems from a WADA-hosted Education Conference in 2013, which was attended by 17 Latin American countries. While the celebration started as a small Latin American initiative, last year, the Agency’s digital and social media campaign reached over six million people with numerous individuals and organizations taking part from around the globe,” WADA said in a statement.

“This year, given the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having around the globe, WADA seized the opportunity to engage the global anti-doping community – and all stakeholders in the fight to protect Clean Sport – in solidarity around the theme Play Safe on Play True Day 2020, asking them to participate in a digital and social media campaign by sharing what they are doing and why to curb the spread of the virus,” the statement added.

WADA President Witold Banka said the agency is grateful to the healthcare workers and all others who are working selflessly to help us navigate this difficult moment in history.

“I wish to thank everyone who is taking part in raising awareness about the importance of Playing Safe for Play True Day 2020. This year’s campaign is once again reaching all corners of the globe, showing how we as the Clean Sport community are doing our part to fight COVID-19 and protect public health,” Banka said in a statement.

“WADA joins the world in navigating these uncertain times and in being grateful to the healthcare workers and all others who are working selflessly to help us navigate this difficult moment in history. We salute this global team effort on Play True Day and remain well prepared for the day when anti-doping returns to full force,” he added.