BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — In a historic transfer for sports activities governance within the Caribbean, Dr. Karen Pilgrim has been elected chairperson of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (Caribbean RADO), turning into the primary girl to carry the place within the group’s two-decade historical past.
Elected unopposed in the course of the group’s Annual Basic Assembly held in Barbados on June 8, Dr. Pilgrim, who represents Guyana as a Member Nation delegate, takes the helm with a transparent imaginative and prescient for the way forward for clear sport within the area.
A trailblazer steps ahead
A retired veterinarian and revered sports activities administrator, Dr. Pilgrim has beforehand served as vice-president of the Guyana Olympic Affiliation and was a Director on the Caribbean RADO Govt Committee previous to this elevation. Her election marks a major second within the group’s historical past, which is able to rejoice its twentieth anniversary in November.
She succeeds Aruba’s Patrick Werleman, who chaired Caribbean RADO from 2019 to 2025 and now steps into the position of vice-chair.
Forging regional unity and capability
As she begins her three-year time period, Dr. Karen Pilgrim underscored the significance of regional collaboration and institutional growth.
“{Our relationships} with our respective governments and Nationwide Olympic Committees will likely be of paramount significance. We have to develop extra human assets with respect to anti-doping inside our area,” she declared.
“Whereas the Caribbean RADO has executed lots as an organisation, our aim now’s to construct larger capability in every of our 18 Member International locations. We might like to see a minimum of one devoted full-time staffer assigned to anti-doping programmes in every nation.”
Funding, she emphasised, may also be vital.
“Growing funding may also be a precedence for our organisation, following the institution of our advertising committee.”
A brand new govt committee begins its mission
The brand new management group for Caribbean RADO was additionally confirmed, with all officers elected unopposed. Along with Dr. Pilgrim and Vice-Chair Werleman, the Govt Committee contains returning Administrators Dr. Adrian Lorde of Barbados and Rheeza Grant of Trinidad and Tobago. Becoming a member of them is Bonaire’s Mitchell de Palm, who may also head the newly fashioned Advertising and marketing Committee.
De Palm highlighted monetary sustainability as a central goal:
“Income technology will likely be one of many main issues on our agenda,” he said.
“The first activity proper now’s assessing our earlier efforts, constructing on these efforts, whereas exploring new approaches to securing funding for future endeavors. These initiatives will then profit all of our member territories.”
A weekend of reflection and strategic planning
The June 8 AGM capped off a productive weekend of growth and planning. On June 7, representatives engaged in an intensive Strategic Planning Workshop as Caribbean RADO prepares for its 2026-2030 cycle. The workshop was facilitated by Jane Rumble, Chief Govt of UK Anti-Doping.
Moreover, a Member Nation Capability Constructing Coaching Workshop on the Anti-Doping Administration and Administration System (ADAMS) was held, with assist from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA).
The weekend additionally featured a celebratory dinner co-hosted with Barbados’ Nationwide Anti-Doping Fee (NADC), commemorating main milestones—Caribbean RADO’s twentieth anniversary and NADC Barbados’s twenty fifth.
Because the group charts a brand new strategic path below Dr. Pilgrim’s management, the Virgin Islands have been chosen to host the 2026 AGM in St. Thomas—an event prone to construct on the momentum of a milestone 12 months for anti-doping within the Caribbean.