July 7 – 15, 2023
The Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission was ecstatic to participate in The Bahama Games hosted this past July as part of the country’s Independence celebrations for our Golden Jubilee (50 years). It was our hope and mission that even during these recreational games the spirit of “Clean Sports” still prevailed.
The Games hosted athletes in New Providence, representing all the islands of The Bahamas over the span of 8 days through 14 sporting disciplines.
June 24, 2023
BADC’s Executive Director Petra Haven hosted an anti-doping educational session at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Center with the National Water Polo team, coaches and parents ahead of their trip to El Salvador for the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC Games) this past July.
The players were able to learn about the doping control process, therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), the prohibited list and other pertinent information to prepare them for their international matches.
April 8 – 10, 2023
The Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission (BADC) was the Anti-Doping Organization responsible for doping control during the 2023 Carfita Games held in Nassau, The Bahamas during the Easter holiday weekend. The team consisted of Doping Control Officers, Chaperones, Station Managers and members of the Operational/Administrative Team to ensure the spirit of clean and fair sport was upheld.
Training is extremely important so we always ensure that our Doping Control Officers stay up to date with their certifications and understanding new methods under the World Anti-Doping Code. Led by Lead DCO Lavaldo Coverley and Executive Director Petra Haven, a team of Doping Control Officers work through hands-on training in preparation of all Sporting events to be held in The Bahamas this year.
BADC’s Chairman of the Board, Dr. Christa Wells and Doping Control Manager, Mr. Audril Farquharson attend the annual iNADO and WADA Symposiums in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The theme of the 2023 iNADO Annual Workshop was “Women & Anti-Doping: Working Together Towards Excellence”. iNADO proudly chose to focus their 2023 Workshop on women in anti-doping because they feel supporting women helps everyone work together towards excellence in anti-doping. As said by iNADO, “Of iNADO’s 69 member NADOs and RADOs, 30 have women in a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position or similar. This amounts to 43.5 percent, a higher average than in many other industries. However, this does not mean conditions in our community are favorable for gender equality.”
BADC’s attendance and representation at the annual WADA Symposium ensure we stay abreast of new procedures, network with our counterparts amongst other things. This year, “Under the theme ‘United toward a world of doping-free sport’ the Symposium will once again gather anti-doping practitioners from International Federations, National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations and Major Event Organizations; as well as, Athletes, Governments, WADA-accredited laboratories, Athlete Passport Management Units, service providers, researchers, and the media – to help advance the global collaborative mission for doping-free sport. This year’s edition will explore how, together, we can further advance anti-doping for the benefit of athletes worldwide.”
We look forward to implementing all the new information we learned and building on existing and new relationships with our counterparts around the world.
Petra Haven, BADC’s Executive Director, stops by Bahamas @ Sunrise in preparation for the Carfita Games 2023, held in Nassau, The Bahamas on April 7 -10, 2023.
January 25 – 27, 2023
The Honorable Mario Bowleg, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture and Ms. Petra Haven, Executive Director for the Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission attended the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Second Forum with Ministers Responsible for Sport in the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica on January 25 – 27, 2023 along with WADA’s President Witold Banka and WADA’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Maria Jose Pesce.
This forum provided a platform to raise issues, ideas, activities and actions to strengthen anti-doping programs. Some of the focuses were: developing strong legal framework for protecting clean sports, advising the current state of anti-doping in each Caribbean country, delivering educational information to the sport community, implementing effective testing programs, and collaborative efforts between stakeholders.