Welcome

On behalf of the Organising Committee for the 24th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians (ICRAV) to be held in Melbourne, Australia from Saturday 28 - Saturday 7 March 2026, welcome to the official website.

As the pre-eminent conference for our industry, known for the breadth of scientific presentations and workshops, we are looking forward to hosting ICRAV2026 in Melbourne, the home of racing in Australia.  Over the next 2 years we will provide all the information you require to make sure you plan to join us for ICRAV2026.

David Batty
Chair, ICRAV2026 Organising Committee

ICRAV MELBOURNE 2026 - FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear AORC and IGSRV members,

The Organising Committee is pleased to announce that the 24th International Conference of Racing Analysts & Veterinarians will be held from 28 February to 7 March 2026 in Melbourne, Australia, at the Crown Promenade.  The conference and official accommodation are located in the heart of Melbourne, in the popular Southbank precinct.

Melbourne is Australia’s home of racing, and the conference will open with a race meeting at Flemington Racecourse – home of the world-famous Melbourne Cup. The conference theme is Synergy between Species, with joint sessions featuring anti-doping and welfare issues in equine, canine, human, camel, and even avian sports, focusing on what we can learn from each other.

Details of pre-ICRAV analytical and veterinary workshops will follow in future announcements, as will details of the Young Scientists Awards for 2026.

The conference website is live at https://www.icrav2026.org/. The organising committee members and their contact details can be found on the website.  We will notify members when abstracts and registrations will open.

ICRAV is the perfect opportunity to network with international colleagues and stay up to date with the latest in animal welfare and drug testing research, in a warm and friendly Australian setting.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 24th ICRAV in Melbourne in 2026.

Best regards,

David Batty
Chair, ICRAV Melbourne 2026 Organising Committee

Click here to download a copy of the announcement

Highlights

RASL is delighted to be hosting ICRAV 2026 in Melbourne Australia:

  1. Racing is a major industry in Australia, where we enjoy Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound racing.

  2. Melbourne is Australia’s home of racing – and the world famous Melbourne Cup.

  3. RASL is Australia’s largest racing drug testing laboratory, performing analysis of samples from all 3 racing codes.

  4. Maintaining integrity is vital to the racing industry, so the relationships between racing veterinarians, racing stewards and drug testing laboratories are critical to protecting animal welfare and the reputation of racing.

  5. ICRAV is the perfect opportunity to network with international colleagues and stay up to date with the latest in animal welfare and drug testing research, in a warm and friendly Australian setting.