Simi Hamilton wants to gain athletes’ trust in anti-doping system as he stands for election to WADA Athlete Council

Simi Hamilton is motivated by a desire for athletes to have “better trust in the system” as he bids for election to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Athlete Council. 

Hamilton forged an 11-year career at the top level of Cross-Country skiing and competed at three Olympic Games, six FIS World Championships, and in 165 FIS World Cup races before retiring in 2021. 

Based in Basalt, Colorado, where he lives with wife and former Cross-Country skier Sophie Caldwell Hamilton and their daughter Lilly, the 37-year-old has since coached the USA junior national team on a part-time basis and is training to become a full-time international mountain guide. 

He was alerted to the WADA Athlete Council Election by former USA cross-country teammate Julia Kern who serves on the FIS Athletes’ Commission and he immediately seized upon the chance. 

It offered a way to remain connected with the sport and to make a difference for present and future generations so they can compete in the knowledge the sport is doing its utmost to rid itself of doping and provide a clean, safe racing environment. 

Should he be successful, Hamilton would be the first former FIS athlete to secure such a position at WADA with the election taking place from 10-12 December. 

“I’ve always felt if you feel passionately about something and there’s a way to give back and do your part to at least try to leave a sport something better than you found it, you should always jump at that opportunity,” he says. 

“I felt like I didn’t have any excuses not to throw my hat in the ring for this and do what I could to be a good ambassador for cross-country skiing and endurance sports and be an advocate for clean sport and fair play.” 

Hamilton attended the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City as a young fan when he was 13. 

It was the first Winter Olympics since WADA was established in 1999 and doping cast a shadow with positive tests across a range of disciplines. 

Among them were three cross-country skiers who were all subsequently stripped of their medals. 

Did he have to believe during his career that his fellow competitors were clean? 

“You have to trust in the process and the system, and you have to trust that entities like FIS and WADA and the International Olympic Committee are doing their part to ensure that you’re competing on a clean platform,” he says. 

“If you focus too much on that and you start thinking like’ wow, there’s no way that everyone I’m competing against is clean,’ that’s just going to take away from your ability to focus on exactly what you’re doing and the work you’ve put in." 

Hamilton intends to act as a conduit of communication between FIS, WADA and the IOC and believes that increased co-operation is key. 

He also brings a unique perspective as a former athlete and for FIS Athletes’ Commission Co-Chair Verena Stuffer, this experience and knowledge marks him out as the ideal candidate. 

“Simi knows exactly how winter sports run, so he is the right athletes’ representative for the WADA Athletes' Council,” said Stuffer. “He could give significant support in being the connection between athletes and the board to create a credible system for every athlete.” 

Stuffer’s Co-Chair Alex Fiva was personally impacted by the systemic Russian doping at his first Olympic Winter Games at Sochi 2014. 

It has cast a shadow over his memories of the Games and made him realize the fight against doping isn’t confined to individual athletes. 

“Cross-Country skiers, due to the nature of their sport, deal with very sensitive issues related to anti-doping," said Fiva.  

“From this perspective, I think it makes a lot of sense to have an endurance athlete on the Athletes Council.” 

Hamilton wants younger racers and future generations to know that being an athlete isn’t only about what they do on the snow, it’s also about being aware of what’s happening outside their training world and race schedule. 

That includes anti-doping education and obligations like the Whereabouts system and for them to take ownership of everything they do. 

Concerns about a sport’s integrity can lead parents to reconsider whether to allow their child to participate. 

As the father of a two-year-old daughter and with a son on the way in February, this resonates with Hamilton who believes it is imperative to create a clean, positive culture which rewards hard work. 

It also extends beyond the snow sport community to the wider audience who question the legitimacy of athletic performances. 

Having confidence in the testing standards will lead, Hamilton feels, to a more empathetic, passionate fanbase.