Annual Symposium 2024

The detailed program is available here.

Similar to previous years, the Symposium will be hosted in a hybrid fashion. All plenary sessions, as well as specific parallel sessions identified in the program, will be accessible via a virtual platform, which will allow registrants to participate in these sessions remotely and ask questions to the presenters via a live chat.

Note that sessions that are not hybrid will be recorded and made available online to registered participants only. For more details, please see the “Presentations” section below.

Detailed instructions will be sent to participants who have chosen to participate remotely the week prior to the Symposium. 

Presenters’ and moderators’ biographies will also be available on the Annual Symposium mobile app.

We are pleased to once again provide participants with the Symposium mobile app to enhance their experience at the Symposium. The app allows you to network with all in-person and virtual participants, access the general program and personalize your agenda, as well as book one-on-one appointments via the Meeting Hub. Don’t get lost at the STCC—download the app to visualize the floor plan before you even arrive and stay up to date with the latest news, too.

Note: the mobile app is available to all registered and approved participants. Instructions for download and login credentials will be sent out 2 to 3 weeks prior to the Symposium’s start. Look out for the email from the Symposium secretariat. 

Applications for registration must be completed online.

Please note that an electronic photo in .jpeg format (max 1MB) is required for registration. Photos are requested for security reasons and are also intended to facilitate identification of participants by other attendees through the Delegate App, thus, enabling participants to network before and during the event. The photos will be printed on the accreditation of each participant onsite at the Symposium venue and displayed on the virtual platform for remote participants.

Please see below the number of complimentary registrations offered by registration categories (to be redeemed before the deadline of 14 February 2024):

If an organization or a government wishes to register more than two participants, a registration fee will automatically apply to subsequent registrants as outlined below.
Registrations placed before the deadline of 14 February 2024 (23:59 CET) will be charged as follows:

• CHF 200 per onsite participant
• CHF 50 per virtual participant

Registrations placed or not redeemed from the complimentary registrations’ quota after the deadline of 14 February 2024 (23:59 CET) will be charged as follows:

• CHF 400 per onsite participant
• CHF 100 per virtual participant

Onsite participants must cover their own travel, ground transfers, hotel accommodation and miscellaneous expenses. Onsite participants must also subscribe to a travel insurance to cover any medical expenses.

Virtual participants must cover any expenses to connect to the Symposium, such as internet connection.

* A letter of support by the researcher’s institution will be required to confirm their involvement in anti-doping. The letter should be on the official letterhead of the institution, include the name of the researcher, and description of the research in anti-doping conducted by the researcher.

Organizations and governments listed above are encouraged to invite one (1) athlete to register at no cost, in addition to their allotment of complimentary participants (refer to table above). A registration fee of CHF 200 per onsite participant / CHF 50 per virtual participant, will apply to any additional athlete registered.

The registration deadline is 14 February 2024 (23:59 CET) for the early-bird registrations and 3 March 2024 (23:59 CET) for late registrations.

Registrations placed after the deadline of 14 February 2024 (23:59 CET) will be charged a registration fee of CHF 400 per onsite participant and CHF 100 per virtual participant.

Please note that no registrations will be accepted after 3 March 2024 (23:59 CET). 

For security and logistical reasons, individuals who have not registered online and who have not received an electronic confirmation of their registration will not be granted access to the Symposium, whether onsite or virtual.

Registration cancellation should be made in writing to wada-ama@kuonitumlare.com.

The following cancellation policy will apply:

• Before or on 14 February 2024 (23:59 CET): Registration fee will be refunded, except for CHF 20 bank charges.
• As of 15 February 2024: No registration fee will be refunded.

All reimbursements will be made after the Symposium has concluded.

We kindly ask that, should plans change prior to the Symposium, the secretariat of the Symposium be advised in writing at wada-ama@kuonitumlare.com, as soon as possible. WADA reserves the right to refuse admission to future Symposia to persons who register for the 2024 Annual Symposium but do not show up. 

To register, please click on the link below:

Register

If needed, you can download your invitation letter directly by login back to the registration portal and clicking on the relevant button.

The registration system will ask you to create an account. Once your account/profile is created, you may proceed with the registration process.

In case of any difficulties with registration, please contact Kuoni Tumlare, the Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) contracted by WADA at wada-ama@kuonitumlare.com.

The Symposium is open to major stakeholders in the Anti-Doping movement including: 

• International Federations (IFs)
• National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs)
• Regional Anti-Doping Organisations (RADOs)
• National Olympic Committees (NOCs) 
• Major Event Organizations (MEOs) 
• Athlete representatives
• Sample collection agencies and related anti-doping service providers
• WADA-accredited laboratories and members of the WADA Laboratory Expert Group
• Government representatives involved in anti-doping
• Anti-doping researchers
• Media – on the morning of Day 1 only

All plenary sessions will be conducted in English or French, with simultaneous interpretation in English, French, and Spanish. Concurrent sessions will be conducted in English, and with simultaneous interpretation in French.

Onsite participants will receive their accreditation upon their arrival at the Symposium venue. The photo submitted during the online registration will be printed on the accreditation for security purposes and to facilitate networking opportunities. For further information on the photo, please refer to the registration page.

Virtual participants will not receive any accreditation. However, their picture will be used on the virtual platform for identification and networking purposes.

All information is available to registered participants (except media) through the mobile app. No printed documents (such as program or participant list) will be provided at the event.

Following the Symposium, all registered participants (virtual and onsite) will have access to the recordings of the sessions via a secured link in the registration system for a limited time.

On each day of the Symposium, WADA will offer registered participants that are physically present at the STCC coffee/tea breaks and lunch. Coffee and lunch breaks will provide networking opportunities, enabling social exchanges and bilateral discussions amongst participants.

Immediately following the end of Day 1, on 12 March, a cocktail event will be held for all participants physically present at the Symposium venue. As always, this is a great networking opportunity.

Any participant requiring a visa to enter Switzerland is responsible for obtaining their visa. For the list of nationalities requiring a visa, please consult the Swiss Federal Office for Migration website.

If needed, you can download your invitation letter directly by login back to the registration portal and clicking on the relevant button.

If more information than the ‘Invitation to the Symposium’ is requested to fulfil visa requirements, it will be possible to request it in the online registration system, after registration has been approved.

Note that due to the high demand for travel within the Schengen space, it is strongly advised for participants to start their visa application as soon as possible.

• 29 November 2023: Opening of online registrations and accommodation bookings
• 14 February 2024: 
  • Deadline for early-bird registration
  • Deadline for cancellation of registration
• 3 March 2024: Deadline for late registration 
• 12-13 March 2024: WADA 2024 Annual Symposium

WADA’s 2024 Annual Symposium will be held at the SwissTech Convention Center (STCC), located at the heart of the University Campus of the world-renowned École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), one of two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.

SwissTech Convention Center 
EPFL- STCC
Station 21
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland

Participants arriving by air should fly to Geneva Airport and take the train to Lausanne. Travel time from Geneva to Lausanne is about 50 minutes.

Participants can also fly to Zürich Airport and take the train to Lausanne. Travel time from Zurich to Lausanne is about 150 minutes.

You may consult the Train schedule and buy your ticket online via the CFF website or the CFF App.

Private shuttles from Geneva airport can be organized directly with private companies such as Swiss Transports Services.

Participants are strongly encouraged to come to the Symposium using public transportation as there is very limited parking onsite. The STCC parking lot is not free and often full.

Please visit the STCC website for further information.

The Lausanne Transport Card gives any guest staying in Lausanne and paying the overnight «taxe de séjour» (City tax) free and unrestricted access to all public transport services in the city (bus, train, metro). Upon arrival at your hotel, please ask for the free Lausanne Transport Card (LTC).

This card is personal and offered to each visitor from the accommodation supplier upon check-in at the hotel. It is valid for the duration of the reservation, including on arrival and departure dates.

Furthermore, upon presentation of your Lausanne Transport Card, some partners offer discounts. For more information, click here.

For information regarding accommodation in Lausanne, please contact: 

LAUSANNE TOURISME
Mr. Olivier MOURAUX
Avenue de Rhodanie 2
CH-1001 Lausanne
mouraux@lausanne-tourisme.ch 
Phone: +41 21 613 73 15

Hotel rates are in Swiss Francs (CHF) per room, per night, VAT and service charge included. The city tax is not included and ranges from CHF 2.60 to CHF 4.20 per person, per night, depending on the hotel category.

In order to guarantee hotel bookings, credit card details will be requested from each guest. The credit card will only be charged in the case of late cancellation or “no-show.” Rooms cannot be booked without providing credit card information. Payment must be made at the hotel upon arrival by the guest.

In case of cancellation, the following terms will apply: 

• Free cancellation: minimum three (3) days prior to the arrival date
• Late cancellation (less than three (3) days prior to the arrival date): full cost of your booking will be charged on the credit card
• no-show: full cost of your booking will be charged on the credit card

WADA is grateful to the following partners for their contributions: 

Organizational partners

Global Partner

Symposium’s partners

Kuoni Congress
Email: wada-ama@kuonitumlare.com

Secretariat of WADA’s Annual Symposium, WADA
Email: AnnualSymposium@wada-ama.org

Media Relations, WADA
Email: media@wada-ama.org

Olivier Mouraux, Lausanne Tourisme
Email: mouraux@lausanne-tourisme.ch