Jakarta, 18 April 2024
As it has been scheduled for the selection of Anti-Doping PRESI (Education Presenter), which was held by IADO for the first time in the history of LADI (Indonesian Anti-Doping Agency which was born in 2006, later changed its name to IADO in February 2022), then the selection process has just completed the virtual interview stage for 40 candidates which took place in stages and separately from April 1st to 4th, 2024. The interviewers were the PRESI Drafting Team (consisting of a number of Professors in the field of Sports, medical personnel, other higher education teaching staff outside of Professors, sports experts, and IADO Leaders). Meanwhile, the candidates interviewed were the result of administrative selection from a total of 278 registrants who submitted their registration requests via the application provided by the PRESI Preparation Team until the registration deadline on March 11th, 2024. All candidates were then administratively selected based on all the various required documents that had been sent.
Based on the data from the PRESI registrants, it has shown that their origins, backgrounds and professions are very diverse. Most of them came from West Java, then followed by DKI Jakarta, from Central Java, from all of Sumatra, from East Java, and from various other regions including Kalimantan, Banten, Bali, NTB, NTT, Sulawesi and Maluku. Some of them work as university lecturers, sports coaches, doctors / medical team members and athletes (either active or former ones) . If elected, they do not need to give up the daily profession they have been working on so far and can continue to live in their respective areas of origin. This is important to know, because PRESI activities are only incidental and are not carried out every day or even every week, and their existences are to support IADO’s educational staff, which in fact is so far very limited. As a comparison, IADO currently has 49 DCOs (Doping Control Officers) and 10 BCOs (Blood Control Officers), whose jobs are to take urine and blood samples both during ICT (In Competition Testing) and OOCT (Out of Competition Testing). In their daily lives, they still work as doctors, lecturers, local government civil servants, private office employees and so on. However, for PRESI recruitment, both DCOs and BCOs are not permitted to register, because it is related to the code of conduct in the assignment.
Considering that anti-doping education activities have now become one of WADA’s priorities in recent years, it is natural that IADO must also be responsive, whose objective is that anti-doping education can be more equitable. As a consequence, later on the 2024 PON (National Sports Games) in Aceh and North Sumatra, it will no longer be a sampling activity (testing) only, but it also includes education and investigation although testing should dominate it, so this is different from a number of previous PON events. Anti-doping is currently an popular topic that if it is explored comprehensively, the beneficiaries (especially athletes and Athlete Support Personnel / ASP) will find terms related to clean sport, the list of prohibited substances (Prohibited List), and to convey this to the beneficiaries. Various views from an athlete/former athlete is needed so that what PRESI conveys can agree and be in line with the athlete’s concerns without forgetting the athlete’s obligations and responsibilities towards anti-doping. Likewise, if PRESI comes from a medical professional or academic profession, then a doctor can explain the prohibited substances on the Prohibited List, and the dangers of these substances in the future. In addition, academics in the sports sector can explain clearly and already have experience in explaining material to students. The PRESI team will select a number of candidates who will pass the interview and receive training. Of course, in selecting candidates, the team will be very selective considering that education will be delivered to various regions and various beneficiaries from various circles. Candidates who pass the interview will receive training before conducting trials to provide anti-doping education.
PRESI professional recruitment is very new in Indonesia, because so far the IADO Education Directorate has only been supported by 3 staff (1 Director and 2 Directorate Staffs), while they have many responsibilities and obligations, namely being responsible for carrying out anti-doping educational activities throughout Indonesia, both offline and online, and not counting the many national federations that also want to receive anti-doping education from IADO. Currently, new regulations have been issued from the OCA (Olympic Council of Asia) and the IOC (International Olympic Committee), which require athletes who will compete in the Asian Games and Olympics as well as a number of other multi-events and single events to first have an ADEL (Anti -Doping Education and Learning Platform). Without an official certificate issued by WADA (not by IADO nor NADO from each country), athletes appointed to represent their respective countries are not permitted to compete since the qualifying round. The increasing number of these tasks prompted the IADO Education Directorate to form PRESI.
As mentioned above, the selection for PRESI is the first time in Indonesia and even the first time in the Southeast Asia region, so WADA has given a special appreciation to IADO for its initiative and courage to carry out the PRESI selection. IADO’s success in selecting and implementing PRESI will become a pilot project for the Southeast Asia region and Asia in general. That is the reason that because of the importance of the PRESI selection, preparation for the selection was carried out intensively involving a number of experts and professors from several universities. And more importantly, there was no direct nor indirect interference from IADO nor the Ministry of Youth and Sports to prioritize certain candidates, because IADO has given complete trust and independence to the PRESI Drafting Team to select its candidates objectively and transparently. The PRESI and IADO drafting teams guarantee that there is no particular model of candidate entrustment, because it must be accountable.
Based on several ongoing interview processes, candidates were asked to write essays about their motivation and goals for joining PRESI, and were also asked to provide presentations in Indonesian and English. They were also asked about their knowledge of doping, the authorities responsible for handling doping both in the world, Asia and Indonesia as well as a number of anti-doping regulations. Even for those who work or have been athletes were asked to explain their previous experiences when their samples (as athletes) were taken by the DCO. Of course, they were asked about their commitment and willingness if selected and assigned as PRESI, because the nature of the assignment can be done at any time even though there is a notification period before the assignment. In a number of interviews, the level of competence in knowledge, experience and way of thinking in solving problems was visible. The final selection results will be known approximately in June 2024 according to schedule.
Jakarta, 18 April 2024
Chairman of IADO,
Gatot S. Dewa Broto