Minister of Sport Cudjoe-Lewis champions anti-doping initiative at forum

MINISTER of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis represented Trinidad and Tobago at the third World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Forum with ministers responsible for sport in the Caribbean.

The forum, held on January 16 and 17 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, brought together ministers of sport and other technical officials from several Caribbean countries and served as a platform for discussions on key issues regarding clean sport. A sport ministry media release on January 20, said, “The discussion included the advancement of educational anti-doping initiatives; collaboration in the World Anti-Doping Code update process; ensuring the operational independence of national anti-doping organisations; and enhancing government involvement in anti-doping efforts across the region.”

During her contribution to the forum, Cudjoe-Lewis said, “Three years ago, Trinidad and Tobago was one of 11 states, parties and territories out of 22, who were deemed non-compliant, scoring below the 60 per cent threshold in UNESCO’s 2021 AD logic survey.”

However, due to the efforts of the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, Trinidad and Tobago recently passed the Anti-Doping in Sport (Amendment) Bill, aligning with the WADA Code of 2021, subsequently eradicating non-compliance from the 2022-2023 national reports.

Cudjoe-Lewis also emphasized and commended the collaborative efforts with the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation and the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, as well as noted the upcoming formation of the Trinidad and Tobago Anti-Doping Organisation, underscoring the Government’s commitment to clean sport and integrating anti-doping principles into school programmes through initiatives like I Choose Sport.

“The Ministry of Sport and Community Development, and by extension, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, remains committed to working with all key stakeholders to enrich lives through total participation, quality training and sports excellence, in keeping with the two main themes of the National Sport Policy of Trinidad and Tobago 2017–2027 – development of sport and sport for development.