The UAE has advanced a significant phase of sports cooperation with South Korea following a series of official meetings led by His Excellency Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports, during the 2025 World Conference on Doping in Sport hosted by the World Anti-Doping Agency in Busan. The visit reflected the UAE’s commitment to expanding international partnerships in competitive and community sports, talent development, sports technology and sports integrity as part of the country’s wider strategy to build a modern and effective sports ecosystem.
H.E. Al Hajeri began his visit with a meeting with H.E. Chae Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea, where they discussed shared priorities including the development of school sports systems, the strengthening of talent identification mechanisms, the integration of advanced technologies in training and the expansion of digital transformation within the sector. The discussions also included several potential future initiatives such as the formation of a UAE and South Korea sports cooperation task force, the launch of youth and sports exchange programmes, the development of an innovative project in artificial intelligence and sports science and preparations for a long-term memorandum of understanding to structure future collaboration.
During the meeting, H.E. Al Hajeri emphasised the importance of strong international sports relationships to the UAE’s long-term objectives. He 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.”
H.E. Al Hajeri also met with H.E. Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan, to explore opportunities for collaboration in sports innovation, international event hosting and the advancement of smart infrastructure for community sports. The Mayor welcomed the UAE delegation and expressed interest in the UAE’s experience in building sports cities and hosting major international sporting events. During the meeting, H.E. Al Hajeri presented the UAE’s strategic direction for sports, including national efforts to promote public health, expand the talent base, develop digital infrastructure and implement urban initiatives that enhance quality of life. Both sides expressed a shared interest in expanding cooperation and agreed to explore opportunities for knowledge exchange between Busan and the UAE’s sports cities, joint programmes in sports innovation and community sports and technical visits in the coming years to examine specific projects 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 the World Anti-Doping Agency, to discuss strengthening cooperation in sports integrity and anti-doping. Witold Bańka praised the progress achieved by the UAE in this field and highlighted the significant development of the National Anti-Doping Agency, which now serves as a regional example of building effective systems that protect athletes and uphold international standards. H.E. Al Hajeri outlined the UAE’s efforts in developing national anti-doping regulations aligned with the WADA Code, reinforcing legislation that supports integrity, enhancing testing and analysis programmes, increasing the annual number of collected samples and updating testing protocols in line with global best practices. He also highlighted the country’s investments in specialist training, capacity building and educational and awareness initiatives targeting athletes, coaches and various community groups, along with the recent Anti-Doping Awareness Program hosted by the UAE Committee for Elite and High-Level Sports in partnership with NADA.
The meeting also reviewed progress on digital transformation in sports integrity, including the development of electronic systems to manage test results and integrate them into the national digital sports ecosystem. Both parties agreed to advance cooperation through future joint training programmes and the exploration of a memorandum of understanding focused on management development, education and technical advancement in anti-doping systems.
H.E. Al Hajeri concluded his visit by expressing his appreciation for WADA’s global role in safeguarding the integrity of sport and reiterated the UAE’s continued commitment to strengthening international cooperation that supports a fair, safe and transparent sporting environment.
