Welcome from the Chair of the 24th ICRAV Dear members and guests, On behalf of the Organising Committee (OC), it is my pleasure to welcome you to Melbourne for the 24th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians (ICRAV). While not called ICRAV many years ago, “The Fourth International Conference on the Control and Use of Drugs in Horses”, was held in Melbourne in 1981. This was just before my time in racing chemistry, but I’m told in comparison it was a relatively modest meeting organised by two very well-known colleagues in the veterinary/analytical fields, Dr John Bourke and Dr Peter Ashelford, who both sadly passed some years ago. Since then, ICRAV has developed into a world class forum where analysts and veterinarians who protect the integrity of the racing industry, get together every two years, to discuss the latest in drug analysis and the protection and welfare of the horse. The theme of the 24th ICRAV is “Synergy between the Species”, with joint sessions featuring antidoping and welfare issues in equine, canine, human, camel, and even avian sports, focusing on what we can learn from each other. The OC is delighted with the overwhelming response from our colleagues, receiving a record number of abstracts for oral presentations from both the analytical and veterinary fields. The program will include a specific session on molecular biology, which is a clear sign of the times to come in our efforts to uphold fairness in racing. In addition, we have had an unprecedented request for poster presentations which will be presented in a novel Australian Wine and Cheese format, where delegates can review the posters in a relaxed setting which will hopefully foster numerous discussions. The first two days of the conference boasts several joint sessions which will be of great interest to our racing stewards and integrity official colleagues, featuring invited speakers covering a range of topics including “Maintaining Social Licence”, “Integrity in Sport”, and “Ethics, Science and the Law”. The OC is proud to offer two pre-ICRAV full day analytical workshops on an “Introduction to Robotics” and “Investigative Testing of Miscellaneous Samples”. In addition, one preICRAV full day veterinary workshop is offered on ”Harnessing the Power of Technology”. The social events planned throughout the course of the conference will endeavour to showcase what Melbourne and Victoria have to offer, and hope that you return home with fond memories of your visit. I trust you will get an opportunity to further explore the amazing attractions that Victoria and indeed the Australia has to offer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors, who without their support would make it impossible to host such an event. Many thanks to the OC for all their hard work in putting this conference together and the wonderful RASL staff for their assistance with the planning of the workshops, laboratory tour and their understanding while many of us were preoccupied with putting this ICRAV together. Best regards, David Batty Chair, ICRAV Melbourne 2026 Organising Committee XVIII ICRAV 2026
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