IFA suggested taking upon this role mainly because I've been in contact with POLADA (Polish Anti-Doping Committee) for years so I know a bit or two about it. It's a lot of responsibility so I've agreed upon a year for now but we will see what the future brings.

The General Director of IFA for Doping, Grzegorz Nowotarski from Poland. Who is Grzegorz? A competitor, coach, referee, the founder and president of Spartan Rymanow, Spartan Warszawa, the ex-vice-president of the Polish Armwrestling Federation, a multimedalist with titles from Polish, European and World Championships.

Grzegorz! Congratulations on your new position! However, I have to ask you: why? It's not a position that has you just posing for pictures. The doping matters are always entangled with issues, troubles and sometimes even personal tragedies of the athletes. I know that you always have a plan. What is it now? What do you want to change, improve, add or remove?

Grzegorz Nowotarski: I'm reading into the IFA anti-doping regulations and the WADA regulations simultaneously. I'm going to try and make the proceedings more time-efficient. I think I will tell you more in a year's time.

Are there any specific cases where the anti-doping check caused more harm than good?

I think they will always influence sports positively. I've never seen that happen before and it's always for the better. Of course, except for the people who are punished and can't participate for a while, that definitely hurts them a lot. I remember an athlete being suspended for traces of hormones or steroids which later turned out to be from shady supplements. But it's not an excuse. Any competitor knows that doping is illegal and you can get suspended for that.

I think that working with the youth is important. It's the key to improvement. It's also, however, very difficult because we can't sit them down at school and force anti-doping thoughts into their heads. Or can we? How can we talk to the youth about doping? Tell us how you see it.

In Spartan Rymanow and Spartan Warszawa, my athletes know excatly what you get for doping. I talk to the younger and the older ones about the effects of all of that. Of course, everyone has their own head and some knowledge on the topic. Either way, the athletes know what the checks are like and what can happen to them. I hope I can reach more people with this knowledge, too.

Thank you and good luck with your new position

Thank you as well and see you at events!

Grzegorz Nowotarski

IFA Director for Doping