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World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee Visits Korea to Mark D-100 of Busan General Assembly

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the WADA Executive Committee, led by President Witold Bańka, visited Korea on the occasion of 100 days remaining until the opening of the 2025 WADA General Assembly.

This visit was arranged for the WADA President to personally review the preparation status of the Assembly, pledge its successful hosting, and share the spirit of fair sport with the future sports generation of Busan.

The visiting delegation was composed of WADA President Witold Bańka, Director General Olivier Niggli, and other key officials.

Today (28th), at the Westin Chosun Hotel, Mayor Park Heong-joon met with President Bańka and KADA Chairman Yang Yoon-joon to share the status of the General Assembly preparations and to discuss follow-up projects and cooperation measures after the Assembly.

During the meeting, the three organizations exchanged views on various business models for establishing an international anti-doping cooperation framework centered in Busan after the Assembly and sought practical implementation measures together.

In 2022, Busan awarded honorary citizenships to President Bańka and several other WADA executives, who have since played a key role in enhancing Busan’s status as a global sports hub city on the international stage.

Prior to meeting with Mayor Park, on August 27, President Witold Bańka engaged in a dialogue session with university students majoring in sports in the Busan area.

He participated in the “Clean Sport Talk Show” held at Domoheon Dahal Lecture Hall, where he stressed to the students the values and importance of fair sport. He also responded to their career inquiries related to the global sports industry and other relevant fields, receiving an enthusiastic response.

During the Assembly in December, members of the WADA Athletes’ Committee, comprised of athletes who have reached the top in their respective sports, will visit middle and high schools in Busan to interact with young local athletes.

Meanwhile, on August 26 in Seoul, President Bańka introduced the core agenda of the WADA General Assembly, its international significance, and future anti-doping policy directions through press briefings with foreign correspondents and domestic media.

The upcoming General Assembly will be held at BEXCO in Busan from December 1 (Monday) to December 5 (Friday), 2025. Approximately 1,200 participants from 191 countries are expected to attend, and decisions will be made on anti-doping codes and standards that will apply to all sports for the next six years (2027–2032).

Busan was selected as the final host city at the WADA Executive Committee meeting held in Egypt in May 2022 after being designated as a domestic candidate city earlier that year. Since then, Busan has promoted the Assembly through various citizen-participation events, such as a youth art contest for Fair Play Week and the “Sea Run Marathon.”

This year, Busan established a dedicated task force (TF) for the General Assembly, opened an official website and participant registration system, and held a coordination meeting with related organizations in August to further strengthen cooperation systems and accelerate preparations.

President Bańka remarked, “The global sports community is paying close attention to Korea and Busan. Given the great global expectations for fair sport, I urge thorough efforts to ensure the successful hosting of this General Assembly.”

KADA Chairman Yang Yoon-joon stated, “The WADA General Assembly is an international sporting event with over 1,200 participants from 191 countries, where the global direction of anti-doping policy will be determined. We will fully cooperate with Busan Metropolitan City and WADA to ensure the successful hosting of this conference.”

Mayor Park emphasized, “We will devote our utmost efforts until the very end to successfully host the upcoming WADA General Assembly. Taking this opportunity, we will solidify Busan’s status as a global sports hub city and actively cooperate with WADA so that the legacy projects of the Assembly can spread the values of fair sport across the world.”