Dr. Karen Pilgrim is the new Chairperson of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO), becoming the first female Chair in the organisation’s history.
Dr. Pilgrim, the current Member Country Representative for Guyana, was elected unopposed during the recent Annual General Meeting held in Barbados.
The retired veterinarian and a former Vice-President of the Guyana Olympic Association previously filled the role of Director on the Caribbean RADO Executive Committee.
As she takes the helm of the organisation, she believes that partnerships will be instrumental over the next three years.
“Our relationships with our respective governments and National Olympic Committees will be of paramount importance. We need to develop more human resources with respect to anti-doping within our region,” she said.
“While the Caribbean RADO has done a lot as an organisation, our goal now is to build greater capacity in each of our 18 Member Countries. We would love to see at least one dedicated full-time staffer assigned to anti-doping programmes in each country. Increasing funding will also be a priority for our organisation, following the establishment of our marketing committee.”
The other members of the new Executive Committee have been elected unopposed. Outgoing Chairperson Patrick Werleman (Aruba) now holds the role of Vice-Chair.
Werleman, who led the Caribbean RADO from 2019-2025, is happy with the impact of the organisation over the last six years, particularly in the area of Clean Sport education.
Former Vice-Chair Adrian Lorde (Barbados) along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Rheeza Grant return as Directors.
The newest member of the Executive Committee is Mitchell de Palm of Bonaire, who also heads the Marketing Committee.
He says ensuring the sustainability of the organisation will be an area of focus.
“Revenue generation will be one of the major things on our agenda. The primary task right now is assessing our previous efforts, building on those efforts, while exploring new approaches to securing funding for future endeavors. These initiatives will then benefit all of our member territories.”
The Caribbean RADO AGM was held on Sunday, June 8, capping off an intense weekend that included a Member Country Capacity Building Training Workshop on the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) which was facilitated by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Friday, June 6.
As the Caribbean RADO plans for its next strategic cycle 2026-2030, Member Country Representatives also engaged in an in-depth Strategic Planning Workshop under the guidance of Jane Rumble, Chief Executive of United Kingdom (UK) Anti-Doping on June 7.
There was also a joint celebratory dinner with hosts National Anti-Doping Commission (NADC) of Barbados, marking key milestones for both organisations.
The Caribbean RADO celebrates its 20th Anniversary on November 12, while NADC Barbados celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year.
The Virgin Islands have been chosen as the hosts of the 2026 AGM, which will be held in St. Thomas.
