Dr. Adrian Lorde, present vice-Chairman of the Caribbean RADO, has been re-elected to serve his 26th year on the PANAM Sports Medical Commission. This gives him oversight to all medical and anti-doping aspects before and during the Pan American Games. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Americas with large numbers of cases and deaths, the Medical Commission has been busy ensuring that protocols are in place for Games and the various competitions under its control.
As head of its Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee (TUEC), Dr. Lorde chairs this independent committee that reviews the requests for use of certain prohibited substances by athletes who require them for legitimate medical conditions. This committee is also consulted by the Results Management Committee whenever an adverse analytic finding (a positive test) is returned to determine if the athlete had previously applied for, and issued a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
A former member of the WADA TUE Expert Group, Lorde said that Caribbean benefits by having regional voices on these Sporting Commissions. He explained that he also acts as the liaison person for the NOCs of the Caribbean region to ensure that all are compliant with the rules and regulations for the Games. “Specifically having a person on the inside helps us to benefit from the experience and expertise of the Medical Commission,” he said.
Dr. Lorde has also been a long-standing member of the newly renamed Centro Caribe Sports Medical Commission (for the CAC Games) , serves on the TUE Commission of the International Testing Agency, and is chairman of the NACAC Medical and Anti-Doping Commission.