Real campaign or a foregone conclusion? The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officially opened the call for applications for the positions of president and vice-president on Monday, December 2. It concerns the positions currently held by Witold Banka of Poland (photo above) and Yang Yang of China. Potential candidates must make themselves known by January 31, 2025, for an election scheduled for May 29 of the same year and taking office on January 1, 2026. Witold Banka and Yan Yang will complete their terms on December 31, 2025. However, according to WADA's statutes, they can apply for a second – and final – three-year term, until December 31, 2028 (their initial term was for six years). It would therefore be surprising if they did not run for re-election next May. It remains to be seen whether their respective positions, weakened by the doping affair involving contamination of Chinese swimmers before the Paris 2024 Games, will encourage other candidates to challenge them for governance. Clarification: any candidate for the presidency, or vice-presidency, must be nominated by at least two people sitting on the WADA Foundation Board, one from the Olympic movement, the other representing public authorities.
