Among the most prominent initiatives this year for integrity awareness was the iZone, an informative and interactive zone designed to enhance the educational aspect of the BWF World Junior Championships experience in Spokane, USA in September-October 2023.
Over 400 junior players actively engaged at the iZone, the key focus of which was integrity awareness (anti-doping/anti-match manipulation).
Adhering to the WADA’s core belief that athletes should be introduced to anti-doping principles through education rather than testing, BWF mandated all participants to undergo established antidoping education ahead of the Championships. Subsequently, the iZone activities in Spokane served to reinforce this understanding.
Tomoka Miyazaki, 2022 world junior champion, at the iZone
These iZone activities, accessible to both players and support staff, encompassed a variety of engaging elements, such as an integrity values signature board, a dedicated photo opportunity backdrop, distinctive #iambadminton branded photo frames, and exclusive #iambadminton wristbands, along with other complimentary items.
With the World Juniors hosted in USA, BWF partnered with the US Anti-Doping Agency for additional support in the outreach programme. Tyler George, an Olympic gold medallist from the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, was enlisted as an Athlete Presenter. Furthermore, Juliana Soares, an anti-doping education specialist from Brazil, was brought in to assist in organising the iZone activities for the event.
“BWF is really pleased with the collaborations and the participation rates of players this year. We are continually looking at new ways of increasing player engagement at the iZone including outside experts to support us, the type of giveaways and adding a competitive twist this year – the daily WADA quiz leaderboard was a key attraction at the iZone in Spokane,” said BWF Head of Integrity Andy Hines-Randle.
The next stop for the iZone is the upcoming BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2024 in Pattaya, Thailand – the final tournament in the Race to Paris 2024 Paralympic Games qualification.
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