The Legacy Outreach Programme was created with the aim of providing additional support to International Federations (IFs) in order to develop and deliver anti-doping athlete awareness programmes, and to provide them with the tools, materials and ideas to carry out effective Outreach Programmes in the future.

The first-ever edition of the programme was carried out in February of this year during the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden. 

"After the Legacy Outreach Programme’s successful start at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships earlier this year, it is hugely promising to see the ITU adopt the programme for the World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago this week," said WADA President, Sir Craig Reedie.

"This type of initiative - using social media and other communication channels to spread the clean sport message - is one of the best ways to promote clean sport.

"I have no doubt that the ITU will be effective in carrying forward the message that doping is dangerous, threatens the very integrity of their sport and that clean athletes are pivotal to all they do."

The Programme, which is jointly run by WADA and the ITU in the World Triathlon Grand Final's Expo Centre, has adopted the catchphrase "Love Triathlon - Love Clean Sport".

Athletes and volunteers will participate in the programme, and in doing so look to help deliver the clean sport message to competitors and their entourages in an engaging way.

The Legacy Outreach team will interact with athletes, coaches and other support personnel on a one-on-one basis, providing them with useful information on all anti-doping matters.

"I’m very proud that ITU has joined this campaign," said ITU President and International Olympic Committee member, Marisol Casado.

"Education is a key component of ensuring triathlon remains a doping free sport and is something we as an International Federation take very seriously.

"But more than anything, it is the triathletes that have taken the responsibility to keep triathlon clean in earnest."

As part of the campaign, the ITU will launch a social media campaign highlighting reasons why athletes love clean sport, and why a level playing field is important to them.

Athletes will also have the opportunity to showcase their visual support by posing in a Chicago-themed picture frame developed specifically for the campaign.

Similarly, competitors will be able to pledge their loyalty to clean sport by signing the Clean Sport Pledge, an initiative that is said to have proved hugely popular at the FIS Legacy Outreach event. 

"As elite athletes, it's important for us to know that our competitors and our sport are clean, because it keeps the playing field equal and fair," said American triathlete Sarah True, who secured a Rio 2016 Olympic spot last month. 

"To have an anti-doping programme like this launched at the World Triathlon Series Grand Final and World Championships reaffirms that clean sport is taken seriously by our governing federations, my fellow competitors, and the age-groupers and Para-triathletes who will also be here racing for world titles this week."

The five-day World Triathlon Grand Final is set to conclude on Saturday (September 19).



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