The World Anti-Doping Agency's Fair Play Day will be celebrated this Friday. Launched in 2014, it mobilized more than 100 countries Last year focused on promoting clean sport. Swedish former biathlete Mona Brorsson, a member of the WADA Athletes' Council, talks to us about her commitment and the importance of this type of event.
Why did you join the WADA Athletes' Committee?
I retired from competitive sports in March 2024, and before that, I was fully focused on my sport. I wanted to do more, but I was perhaps afraid it would be difficult to combine the two. When I stopped competing and the IBU Athletes' Committee asked if they could nominate me to join the WADA Athletes' Committee, I immediately said yes. It was my chance to give back to the sport and to other athletes. I'm very happy I did it; it's only been a year, but I've already learned so much. It's been fascinating.
How do you work?
We hold several in-person meetings each year, and others remotely. Currently, we are laying the groundwork for what we want to accomplish over the next two years. The main task is to communicate with the athletes, listen to them, and gather information.
After your election, you spoke about the importance of reducing the distance between WADA and athletes.
Exactly. When I was an athlete, I knew about WADA, but for me, it was a huge organization, and I felt like I couldn't have any impact. When this opportunity arose after my retirement, it was a no-brainer to say yes. I feel like I can really do something for the sport. In fact, I realized it was much more accessible than I thought. Now, it's up to me to make other athletes understand this: the Athletes' Council is there for them, we want to communicate with them, and they shouldn't be afraid to contact us.
Do you feel you have already had an impact during your first year on the committee?
Yes, I think so! When I arrived, I wasn't surprised, but impressed: they're such a talented group of athletes who want to make a difference. At first, I was a little shy, wondering if I belonged with them. But during the Games, I spent a few days in Cortina, in the village, meeting the athletes and sharing information with them. It was fantastic. I felt like I was being useful, helping to bridge the gap between the athletes and the committee.
In those moments, what information are you looking for?
The first thing I ask is, "How can we help you?" As an athlete, it needs to be seamless and simple; you don't want to have to think about it. With the location system, you have to submit your location throughout your career: "How is it working for you? How can we improve things?" We also want to help athletes understand that it's not a perfect system, but it's perhaps the best we have today. We're here to listen to them, pass on their feedback, and discuss it.
What will your role be during Fair Play Day?
We will be present on social media to show that this starts with us. We want to emphasize the individual responsibility of athletes. It requires a collective effort to navigate this system, but ultimately, you are always responsible for your own actions. That is the message we want to convey. It may seem modest, but we have seen that this kind of action reaches a lot of people. Every avenue for raising awareness about protecting and upholding the integrity of sport matters to us.
It may seem surprising that in 2026, there is still a need to raise awareness among athletes.
Yes and no. Raising awareness will always be necessary; education is one of the pillars of this work. There will always be young athletes. And even if you've been there for 10 years, you focus on your training, your competitions, and sometimes, mistakes can happen. It's important to have reminders and to keep this message going. It's so sad to see doping cases, infections, mistakes… We continue our educational efforts to ensure that this becomes part of the sport's culture. It's a huge undertaking, which must begin at a very young age, but we also need to educate parents, coaches, federations, and so on. It doesn't stop there; the physiotherapist, the dietician, the nutritionist—they're all involved too. A huge number of people are involved and need to have a certain level of knowledge. As an athlete, you're responsible for what you put into your body, but you also depend on the team around you.
Do you feel that you have been sufficiently made aware of these issues during your career?
I'm quite satisfied. I was made aware of these issues quite young, around 15, and I've seen how useful it's been. A few years ago, a friend of mine got sick while we were abroad. She had a high fever and a cough, so we went to the pharmacy. Back at the hotel, we realized we'd narrowly avoided disaster. Thanks to the education she received, she remembered at the last minute that she needed to check the ingredients of the medication. It turned out alright, but it could have been a huge mistake because she would have broken the rules. It was quite frightening to realize how close we were to disaster. Recently, there was a case of a positive test in biathlon, Rebecca Passler, because of medication her mother was taking. If I kiss my grandmother and she's taking medication, could that affect me? What if I use a skin lotion? There are many tricky cases. Clear rules are needed so that athletes can focus on their sport without worrying about anything else.
