Sport Integrity Australia Deputy CEO, Luke McCann, has been elected Chairperson of the UNESCO Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport Approval Committee for the 2026–2027 biennium.
The Committee, which held its first formal meeting last week (26 November), brings together representatives from the world’s six regions. Its role is to oversee the allocation of global grants that strengthen anti-doping capacity, policies and education worldwide.
Mr McCann was unanimously elected Chair, following his election to the Committee by the tenth session of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the International Convention against Doping in Sport in October.
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As Chair, Mr McCann will guide the Committee’s work, which includes an ambitious body of work as outlined in the Fund’s Operational Plan for 2026–2027 and COP10 Resolutions, marking the most prominent mandate of the Approval Committee.
“This appointment reflects Australia’s ongoing commitment to protecting the integrity of sport globally,” Mr McCann said.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the Fund delivers meaningful outcomes for all nations, particularly those most in need of support, along with strengthened communication and coordination across regions.
— Luke McCann, Sport Integrity Australia Deputy CEO
Key to the work of the Committee for the next two years is the Regional Capacity-Building Programmes (RCBP) to help increase compliance with the UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention, particularly among Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
Sport Integrity Australia co-hosted the first-ever RCBP in September in Brisbane, bringing together representatives of 17 countries from across Oceania and strengthening clean sport across our region. This was a critical event as Australia prepares to host the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Beyond the applications submitted by States Parties to the Fund, the Committee will also drive forward key priorities of the Fund’s Operational Plan for 2026–2027, including advancing the Convention’s reform process, the follow-up to recommendations and advice of the Convention’s evaluation of 2024–2025, scaling up dissemination of the Sport Integrity Guidelines and the Guidelines on Traditional Pharmacopoeia, and leading the pilot Framework Development Programme.
To learn more about the International Convention against Doping in Sport and/or the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport visit the UNESCO website