The 19th Conference of Sports Ministers of Council of Europe member states has kicked off in Monaco, during which Armenia's Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan met with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General Olivier Niggli and Director of the Agency President's Office Rafal Piechota.
The Minister thanked them for continuous cooperation and highly appreciated the agency's support to Armenia. She presented to Olivier Niggli the international sports tournaments planned to be held in Armenia in 2027, emphasizing the agency's support in properly and at a high level organizing the necessary processes in line with WADA requirements.
The parties discussed opportunities for expanding further cooperation, particularly in the direction of incorporating the anti-doping education component into school programs. The importance was stressed of raising awareness about the anti-doping agency's activities, doping prevention and sectoral knowledge, starting from school age.
In this context, the Minister presented the Healthy Lifestyle educational program implemented in Armenia's schools, and also touched upon the development of infrastructure necessary for anti-doping activities in Armenia.
WADA representatives expressed readiness to support Armenia in providing expert and advisory assistance for the creation of laboratories licensed in accordance with international standards and the conduct of relevant research.
Also participating in the conference are Khoren Zargaryan, Director of the Sports Management Center, and Arpine Gevorgyan, adviser to the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
The anti-doping topic rarely leaves professional circles, but here the talk is about school. If anti-doping education truly finds its place in school programs, the impact will be felt not over one year, but at the level of an entire generation.
The issue of laboratories is also noteworthy. Creating such infrastructure in Armenia is an expensive and lengthy process, and WADA's advisory support does not yet mean a ready-made solution. To what extent that support will translate into concrete steps is not yet clear.
The 2027 tournaments are a deadline that forces decisions to be accelerated. Whether real work will begin from that deadline, or everything will remain at the level of statements, the coming months will show.
