The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Olivier Niggli began his role as Director General for the Agency this week, succeeding long-standing Director General, David Howman.
Niggli first joined WADA as the Agency’s Legal Director in 2002 to which he added the title of Finance Director in 2004. In 2011, Olivier returned to Carrard & Associés as partner, where his practice focused on sport, arbitration and commercial law. In 2014, Olivier returned to WADA as Chief Operating Officer and, among other contributions, was instrumental with the implementation of the new World Anti-Doping Code and development of the Agency’s compliance program.
Assuming his new role at a time of heightened interest in the anti-doping movement, Niggli sees great opportunity to shape the future for clean sport. "Our ability to protect the world’s clean athletes grows stronger and stronger, thanks to an ever-expanding network of global partners that are increasingly united in the pursuit to catch dopers," said Niggli. In addition to the Agency’s core activities that include compliance and monitoring, scientific research and education, Niggli highlighted a few of WADA’s key priorities as the Agency looks beyond the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "As I begin my mandate as Director General, WADA will focus ever more on key priorities, which include: maximizing our independent compliance program that is already proving effective; ensuring quality practice by ADOs; bolstering our investigative work; and, implementing a new whistleblower program by the next Foundation Board meeting in November," Niggli said.
"At a time when numerous questions are being asked of the anti-doping community, it is important to note that WADA will be holding a special multi-stakeholder Think Tank in September to address a whole range of matters, including how the anti-doping community can become more robust in light of recent corruption and governance issues," he added.
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