The Chair of the Papua New Guinea Athletes Commission, Olympian Ryan Pini, has been appointed as a committee in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) through an online election following Athlete Council’s first meeting at the WADA Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This is a great achievement personally as well as for Papua New Guineans and athletes representation in the global body.
The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) through the President Sir John Dawanincura congratulated Olympian Ryan Pini, the current Chair of the Papua New Guinea Athletes Commission, on his recent appointment to the newly formed WADA.
“Being Papua New Guinean and Team PNG’s most decorated athlete that has represented our country in the sport of Swimming at the Pacific, Commonwealth and Olympic Games and also at the FINA championships, Pini’s appointment is a testament of a great athlete role model who continues to aspire for excellence. With his experience as an athlete and now representing athletes on various national and regional boards, I am confident Ryan will lead the WADA Athlete Council with integrity and respect,” Sir John said.
Ryan Pini, the Chef de Mission for the 2024 Olympics, accepted his appointment to the WADA Athletes Council and expressed his enthusiasm for the challenge ahead and is looking forward to advocating for clean sports and promoting the welfare of athletes.
Olympian Pini serves on various boards in his capacity as the Athletes representative which includes the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee Board, the PNG Sport Anti-Doping Organisation (PNGSADO), and the Pacific Games Council before being appointed WADA committee.
Pini’s nomination by World Aquatics, formerly known as the International Swimming Federation or FINA, has gone through a lengthy process as part of a series of governance reforms designed to strengthen athletes’ representation within the WADA earlier in 2022, and elected as Chair of the WADA Athlete Council in March 2023.
