On 12-14 November, a team of Council of Europe experts carried out an Evaluation Visit in Ottawa, Canada, to assess the Canadian anti-doping system and their fulfilment of Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention’s requirement with regards safe and clean sport.

The Evaluation Team was hosted by Sport Canada and the visit was organised in close co-operation with Sport Integrity Canada*, the body responsible for safeguarding sport in Canada through the implementation of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The visit benefitted from key stakeholders in sport integrity, including representatives from the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and law enforcement, among others. * Formerly known as the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

The team was led by Michal Rynkowski (T-DO Chair, Poland), and included Graham Arthur (Team Rapporteur and Independent Consultant, UK), Amandine Carton (Ministry of Sports, France), Martin Holmlund Lauesen (Anti-Doping Norway, Norway), and Jamie Brown (Council of Europe). The visit further also included the participation of representatives from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as observers, with particular relevance due to the presence of WADA’s headquarters in Montreal.

The Anti-Doping Convention, to which Canada is a party since 1996, allows the Monitoring Group to conduct targeted evaluation visits to review and help to improve specific aspects of a country’s anti-doping system. 

The findings and recommendations identified during the visit will be summarised in an Evaluation Report to be transmitted to the Canadian authorities for implementation following adoption by the Anti-Doping Convention Monitoring Group.