Busan, South Korea: His Excellency Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports, officially visited South Korea and led the UAE delegation participating in the 2025 World Conference on Doping in Sport, hosted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Busan. During the visit, H.E. Al Hajeri attended a series of high-level meetings with various South Korean sports and government officials.

The visit’s key objective was to reinforce sports cooperation frameworks in competitive and community sports, innovation, talent identification and sports integrity, in addition to fostering the exchange of expertise between the UAE and South Korea. It further highlights the UAE’s efforts to boost international partnerships in these areas as part of a comprehensive strategy to create a robust sports ecosystem that contributes to the country’s ambitious goals in the sector. 

H.E. Al Hajeri commenced his visit with a meeting with H.E. Chae Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea. During the meeting, they explored avenues of collaboration in school sports development, talent identification mechanisms, integration of advanced technologies in training and digital transformation in the sector.

In addition, H.E. Al Hajeri reiterated the UAE’s commitment to supporting international cooperation efforts and ensuring constant coordination with friendly nations, further paving the way for the development of an efficient sports ecosystem in the country.

H.E. Al Hajeri said: “Robust and effective international sports partnerships play a pivotal role in the establishment of operation systems within sports entities and channel their performance towards attaining excellence. Therefore, we aim to reinforce ties with our partners to leverage global expertise and best practices, especially the advanced South Korean sports model, to advance the national sports development journey and secure the best results for Emirati sports. Ultimately, we seek to position the UAE’s sports sector as a leading global model, in line with the objectives of the National Sports Strategy 2031.”

The meeting also included discussions on various future initiatives between both countries, such as the formation of a UAE–South Korea sports cooperation task force, launch of joint youth and sports exchange programs, development of an innovative project in artificial intelligence (AI) and sports science, and preparations for a long-term memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration between the two sides in the sports sector. 

Furthermore, H.E. Al Hajeri met with H.E. Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan, during which they discussed opportunities for potential collaboration in sports innovation, hosting international events and advancement of smart infrastructure for community sports.

During the meeting, the Mayor of Busan welcomed H.E. Al Hajeri, emphasising the willingness to reinforce partnerships with the UAE and benefit from its expertise in building sports cities and hosting major international sporting events. Meanwhile, H.E. Al Hajeri delivered a presentation highlighting strategic directions for sports in the UAE, including plans to promote public health, expand talent base, develop the sports sector’s digital infrastructure, and support urban projects that enhance quality of life. He also appreciated the Mayor of Busan's warm hospitality and reaffirmed the UAE’s goal to create a modern urban-sports cooperation model in line with the future goals of both countries.

Both parties also agreed to explore more opportunities for exchanging expertise between Busan and the UAE’s sports cities, evaluate possibilities of launching joint programs in sports innovation and community sports and organise technical visits in the coming years to review specific projects for implementation within the framework of bilateral cooperation.

On the sidelines of the conference, H.E. Al Hajeri held an official meeting with Witold Bańka, President of WADA, to explore opportunities to reinforce joint efforts in sports integrity and anti-doping. During the meeting, Witold Bańka appreciated the notable progress the UAE has attained in this field and the qualitative achievements in the performance of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which now stands as a regional example in establishing an effective system to protect athletes and ensure compliance with international standards.

During the meeting, H.E. Al Hajeri highlighted the significant efforts and initiatives undertaken by the UAE through NADA. These include creating the national anti-doping regulations aligning with the WADA Code, reinforcing legislation that supports integrity, enhancing testing and analysis programs, boosting the annual number of samples collected and updating testing protocols in line with the global best practices.

Additionally, H.E. Al Hajeri highlighted the capacity-building efforts through the training of specialised personnel and the role of sports federations in new development programs. He further discussed educational and awareness initiatives targeting various groups on the dangers of doping, including the recent ‘Anti-Doping Awareness Program’ hosted by the UAE Committee for Elite and High-Level Sports in partnership with NADA and under the directives of the Ministry of Sports, alongside national campaigns to ensure a culture of fair play.

The meeting also looked into the efforts to bolster digital transformation in sports integrity, such as the development of electronic systems to manage test results and integrate them into the national digital sports ecosystem. Both parties agreed to launch joint training programs in the future and explore possibilities of signing a MoU to raise awareness, enhance management, and strengthen national capacity-building. They further explored ways to increase the exchange of expertise to support the digital and technical development of the UAE’s anti-doping systems.

H.E. Al Hajeri concluded the meeting by expressing his appreciation for WADA and its efforts to safeguard the integrity of sports worldwide. He also reiterated the UAE’s commitment to continuing its support for global initiatives aimed at promoting a fair and safe sporting environment based on the highest standards of transparency and integrity.

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