Thursday 9 April marks the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Play True Day, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of clean sport among athletes, the broader public and sports stakeholders. 

This year, the day is entitled Play Safe on Play True Day 2020, and there is an additional focus alongside the usual clean sport theme. WADA aim to engage the global anti-doping community in the fight to protect clean sport, while also maintaining solidarity as stakeholders, athletes and the public do their part to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

“As a global community focused on fighting doping in sport, we are throwing our collective weight behind fighting COVID-19. We are following the lead of public health authorities; we have adjusted our anti-doping operations and our daily lives, and we will return the global anti-doping system to full force when the pandemic is behind us,” says WADA President Witold Bańka. 

The IHF has been in full support of Play True Day for several years, and joins WADA in the challenge to help maintain solidarity within the sports community, commending and celebrating the role of healthcare workers both in the fight for clean sport and against COVID-19, and encouraging others to join the various conversation surrounding these topics on social media. 

The IHF invites the handball community and stakeholders to join the Play True Day conversation by using the hashtags #PlayTrue, #PlaySafe and #PlayTrueDay. 

About Play True Day

Play True Day has been marked every April since 2014. The initiative arose at a WADA-hosted Education Conference in 2013, attended by 17 South American countries. What began as a small idea amongst those nations has grown to reach millions around the globe thanks to the participation of individuals and organisations engaged in the fight for clean sport.