Kitakyushu 2018: 'Raise the Bar: Say No! to Doping'

'Raise the Bar: Say No! to Doping' seminars were delivered in Kitakyushu, Japan, in the days leading up to the Asia-Oceania Open Championships, with powerlifters, coaches and officials of participating countries attending.

The seminars were organised by World Para Powerlifting in collaboration with the Japan Anti-Doping Agency.

It educated teams about the importance of clean sport and focused on the roles and responsibilities of athletes and support personnel, the prohibited list, medications and supplements, as well as a variety of other key topics.

“The teams were all very engaged and active during the seminar,” Japan Anti-Doping Agency Senior Manager Yaya Yamamoto said.

She led the seminars together with 2008 Olympian and Member of the Japan Anti-Doping Agency’s Athletes’ Commission Rika Saito.

“It was fantastic to witness the athletes signing a commitment message to clean sport that was displayed at the venue throughout the competition,” Yamamoto added.

In addition to the seminars, “PLAY TRUE”, a rules-based resource book that provides further information through infographics, was provided to all the athletes who attended as they progress on the qualification pathway towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

An outreach booth which displayed the athletes’ commitments to clean sport and provided additional information was also in place for the duration of the competition for participating teams and the public.