… Guyana’s Dr Karen Pilgrim returns as Director

PATRICK Werleman has been re-elected as Chairman of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization (RADO). Werleman, the Member Country Representative (MCR) for Aruba, was returned unopposed during the 2022 Annual General Meeting which ended on Sunday in Curaçao.

Werleman has expressed his gratitude to 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. He says the main objectives of the Caribbean RADO over the next three years include improving communication with various key stakeholders, and the further development of anti-doping programmes in Member Countries.

According to Werleman, “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.”

Werleman is joined on the Executive Committee by returning Vice-Chairman, Dr Adrian Lorde of Barbados, along with Directors Dr Karen Pilgrim of Guyana and Ephraim Penn of the British Virgin Islands who were all re-elected unopposed.

There is one new member on the Executive Committee as Rheeza Grant of Trinidad and Tobago was also elected unopposed for the remaining vacant position of Director.
The Caribbean RADO AGM was held May 7-8 in Willemstad, Curaçao at the Renaissance Wind Creek Curaçao Resort.

Seventeen of the 18 Member Countries participated in the two-day hybrid meeting which facilitated delegates both in-person and online.

A Sports Diplomacy Workshop was conducted on the opening day of the session by Dr J, Simon Rofe, Sports 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 is looking forward to even greater collaboration among Member Country Representatives.
The Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization is based in Barbados and acts as the secretariat for anti-doping issues for 18 member countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands (US).