FORMER president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Richard “Dick” Pound headlines a list of local and international speakers who will tackle issues relating to anti-doping in sport at a seminar today inside the Faculty of Law Lecture Theatre at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

The Anti-Doping in Sport Workshop 2013, slated to get underway with registration at 8:30 am, is hosted by the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Norman Manley Law School, in conjunction with the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Jamaica Bar Association.

The workshop is aimed at raising the awareness of the science and laws surrounding drug testing in sports and also to explore the standard of the various programmes overseen by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCo).

It also seeks to promote mutual understanding between anti-doping stakeholders from the developed and developing world, taking into consideration culture and tradition in the various countries.

Experts expect participants to have a better understanding of the science behind anti-doping at the end of the workshop.

Pound, who arrived in Jamaica on Thursday — his first trip to the island — said he looked forward to “sharing best practices, including no notice, out of competition testing and intelligence-based testing, pointing out that the best athletes are usually at the highest risk globally”.

The highly regarded former International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive said “programmes need to be designed to catch those who are cheating”, and added that he would “encourage the establishment (in Jamaica) of an independent anti-doping agency with higher levels of funding”.

A trained lawyer, Pound previously made controversial statements questioning the integrity of Jamaica’s anti-doping programme, while also praising the country’s athletes for being “extraordinary” and “spectacular”.

He is expected to address questions from local stakeholders on anti-doping issues.

Other international presenters include Jeffrey Benz, a former general counsel for the USA Olympic Committee and a leading international sport arbitrator.

Dr Richard Hilderbrand, a former science director of the US Anti-Doping Agency, is also among the august line-up of presenters.