WADA renews agreements for hosting of its Africa Office in Cape Town

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to announce that it has renewed agreements with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) of the Republic of South Africa and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (WCDCAS) for the hosting of WADA’s Africa Office, which has been in Cape Town since 2003. 

In order to extend the opportunity to host WADA’s Africa Office to the entire continent, in April 2023, WADA issued a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) that resulted in offers from the Republic of South Africa (Cape Town), Egypt (Cairo) and Morocco (Rabat). All three EOIs were evaluated via a thorough process, including consideration by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) in November 2023, after which the ExCo mandated WADA Management to pursue discussions with the Republic of South Africa. 

WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, said: “WADA congratulates the public authorities from the Republic of South Africa and the Western Cape for being selected to continue hosting the Agency’s Africa Office. We also wish to thank Egypt and Morocco for their high-quality offers and their collaboration throughout the process. The high level of interest attests to the reputation of our Africa Office and to the quality of the work that its team has been carrying out since its establishment in 2003. It also speaks to the commitment of the public authorities towards WADA’s global collaborative mission for doping-free sport and to further developing the anti-doping system on the African continent for African athletes, for which WADA is grateful.”     

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Acting Director General, Dr. Cynthia Khumalo, said: “As the South African government, we indeed are pleased to continue playing a critical role in enabling the success of implementing anti-doping programs for our continent by hosting the WADA Africa Office in our country. The renewal of the hosting agreement strengthens South Africa’s’ commitment to encourage international cooperation to protect athletes and the ethics of sport as signatory of the International Convention Against Doping in Sport. We look forward to a successful hosting term.” 

WADA’s Africa Office Director, Rodney Swigelaar, said: “We are confident that with the renewal of these hosting agreements, the South African authorities will continue to assist and support our efforts with the necessary recognition and tools that will allow us to carry on our work on the African continent for all athletes. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport over the coming years and thank all involved for the support provided to our staff and for our programs.” 

Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport Head of Department, Guy Redman, said: “As the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, we are proud to continue hosting WADA’s Africa Office, which plays such a vital role in promoting clean sport across the continent. This partnership aligns with our commitment to fostering integrity and excellence in sport, and we look forward to working closely with WADA to support their efforts in ensuring a doping-free environment for all athletes. We remain dedicated to providing the necessary resources and infrastructure to ensure the continued success of WADA’s Africa Office in Cape Town.” 

About WADA’s Regional Offices 

WADA’s Regional Offices in Cape Town, Lausanne, Montevideo and Tokyo play a key stakeholder engagement role for WADA in these distinct regions of the world. Their activities are driven by the Agency’s strategic priorities. Primarily, they focus their efforts on collaborating with and providing assistance to stakeholders. In particular, they liaise with public authorities and regional sports organizations, support regional stakeholders in developing their anti-doping programs and reaching and maintaining compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.