India Re-elected As Vice Chair At Unesco Anti-doping Convention
India strengthens its leadership role in global anti-doping governance as COP10 marks 20 years of the Unesco Convention promoting integrity in sport
India has been re-elected as Vice-chairperson of the Bureau for the Asia-Pacific (Group IV) at the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, held at Unesco Headquarters in Paris from 20 to 22 October.
The session marked the 20th anniversary of the Convention. The only legally binding international framework dedicated to promoting integrity and eliminating doping in sport.
The Indian delegation, led by Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary (Sports), and Anant Kumar, Director General of the National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada), engaged with delegates from more than 190 member states, as well as representatives from the African Union, International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), and other multilateral bodies.
Azerbaijan was elected Chair of the COP10 Bureau, while Brazil, Zambia, and Saudi Arabia were chosen as Vice-chairs for their respective regional groups. India also contributed in-kind support by facilitating interactive boards that showcased the two-decade journey of the Anti-doping Convention.
More than 500 representatives from national governments, anti-doping organisations, and Unesco delegations attended the meeting. Discussions centred on strengthening governance and compliance under the Convention, financing the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport, and addressing emerging challenges such as gene manipulation, traditional pharmacopoeia, and ethics in sport.
India’s delegation successfully proposed amendments to integrate the Values Education through Sport (Vets) approach within education-related initiatives, promoting ethics and integrity among youth and sporting institutions.
The COP10 outcomes are expected to contribute to the ongoing reform process aimed at enhancing the Convention’s governance and effectiveness. The session concluded with a reaffirmation of the collective global commitment to fairness and integrity in sport.
