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Battle against doping is a ‘never-ending struggle’: Polish president

05.11.2019 12:12
The fight against drug cheats in sport is a “never-ending struggle,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday while opening a World Anti-Doping Agency congress.
President Andrzej Duda at the opening of the World Anti-Doping Agency conference
President Andrzej Duda at the opening of the World Anti-Doping Agency conference Photo: PAP/Andrzej Grygiel

Speaking at the international conference in the southern Polish city of Katowice, Duda said: “I hope that thanks to your work, young people will not reach for drugs. They will be guided by honesty and integrity… so they never have to feel ashamed.”

Polish hammer thrower Anita Włodarczyk was last month officially awarded the gold from the 2012 London Olympics after a Russian rival was stripped of her medal for a doping violation.

Russia’s Tatyana Lysenko was retroactively disqualified in 2016 after she was caught in the retesting of stored doping samples. Włodarczyk finished second after Lysenko in 2012.

The World Anti-Doping Agency conference in Katowice runs until Thursday.

The meeting is to see Poland's sports minister, Witold Bańka, officially confirmed as the new head of the agency. He is due to take up the post on January 1.

(pk)

Source: PAP