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Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon Meets Global Sports Leaders During WADA Conference, Strengthening the City’s Status as a Global Sports Hub

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has strengthened sports diplomacy and laid the foundation for Busan’s emergence as a global sports hub by holding a series of meetings with key international sports leaders visiting the 「2025 World Conference on Doping in Sport」, held at BEXCO from December 1 to 5.

Yesterday (Dec. 2), Mayor Park met with Kirsty Leigh Coventry, Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); Thomas Bach, former IOC President; Witold Banka, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); and Koji Murofushi, former Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, who attended the conference’s opening ceremony.

Based on the strengthened sports diplomacy network developed through this conference, the city plans to pursue the expansion of international sports event hosting, the revitalization of the sports industry, and the development of global sports events that can be enjoyed by people around the world, thereby establishing Busan as a truly global sports hub.

Later the same day, following the opening ceremony, the city held an official meeting with Farid Gayibov, Minister of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan.

The meeting took place for approximately 20 minutes in a conference room on the 3rd floor of Exhibition Hall 1 at BEXCO. Both sides shared key policies and implementation experiences in the sports sector and discussed cooperation strategies for attracting global sports events and expanding sports diplomacy.

Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, has emerged as an international sports city by hosting the 2025 UFC event, extending its contract for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, being designated the World Capital of Sport for 2026, and securing the hosting of the 「SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit」. The two sides agreed to continue sharing such achievements and best practices and to collaborate on strategies for developing global sports hub cities.

This morning (Dec. 3) at 9 a.m., the city will also hold an official meeting with Ghanim Alhajeri, Vice Minister of Sports of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During the meeting, the two sides will conduct broad discussions on future cooperation, including sports policy development, sports industry revitalization, and the development of global sports events.

The UAE has established the 「National Sports Strategy 2031」, presenting the expansion of public participation in sports—not just elite sports—as a core goal, and is pursuing diverse policies to support everyday engagement in physical activities.

Notably, Dubai, a sister city of Busan*, is a leading global sports city that designates sports as a key policy area in its urban strategy and is promoting an international sports and entertainment free zone. The city shares many similarities with Busan, which also strives to become a city centered on community sports.
* Dubai: the largest city among the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, based on the strengthened sports diplomacy network established through this conference, Busan intends to expand its hosting of international sports events, vitalize the sports industry, and develop global sports events that people around the world can enjoy, thereby paving the way for its leap forward as a genuine global sports hub.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “With the WADA Conference taking place in Busan, key leaders from the global sports community are visiting our city. These meetings have provided an important opportunity to discuss a wide range of sports agendas and strengthen sports diplomacy,” adding, “By enhancing sports diplomacy and closely examining the sports policy achievements of countries around the world—including the sports industry, community sports, and expertise in hosting international sporting events—Busan will lay the groundwork to emerge as a true global sports hub city.”