The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) this week opened its European regional office in Lausanne, Switzerland. One character, well known to the world of archery, Tom Dielen, will be among the WADA staff as of July 1 when he switches his title of director for FITA with that of Director of Sport Liaison in the WADA.

‘FITA has been a partner of WADA from the start and was the first federation to conduct out-of-competition testing together with WADA. I am very excited about this new challenge, and the European office will be the first point of contact for many of my current and future colleagues in sport. I have learned in FITA that you should not try to change everything that exists or start from scratch, but try to improve the many good things that exist and make them better. That is the approach I prefer to use in WADA. I leave a good team behind in FITA and working with the staff and volunteers in archery has been a great experience for me,’ Tom Dielen said Wednesday.

Tom Dielen’s colleagues in the new European regional office will be Dr. Alain Garnier, M.D., who will fill the position as Director of Government Liaison, and the office manager Christine Gueissaz.

The 34-year old Tom Dielen is from Belgium and has worked six years as executive director of FITA. He holds a sports management degree from the Belgian Olympic Academy and a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Leuven. In Belgium he worked as an associate analyst in the support department of S:W:I:F:T (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) in Terhulpen. Tom Dielen lives in Lausanne and is married to a Swiss.

The headquarters of the WADA was opened in Montreal, Canada, last week, thus moving from Lausanne and Europe to settle permanently in North America. Later this month, WADA will invite cities to tender offers to host the Agency’s two other regional offices, serving Africa and Asia/Oceania, to complete its structure.

Harri Syväsalmi (FIN), who is the WADA director general, explained that it is important for WADA to retain representation in the Olympic capital of Lausanne.
‘The International Olympic Committee, the International Sport Federations, the European National Olympic Committees, the European sports ministries, the European Union, the Council of Europe and the NGOs in Europe are some of our most important partners. We want them to know our door is always open in Lausanne, and Alain Garnier and Tom Dielen will do a great job serving their needs.’

Alain Garnier, of France, most recently was the chairman of the Monitoring Group of the Anti-Doping Convention of the Council of Europe and the medical advisor of the French Ministry of Youth and Sports. His scientific background is in pharmacology and physiology.

For more details contact:

Lena Baden
FITA Press Officer
+41 21 614 3056
+41 79 501 9285