WADA has appointed Dr. Mayumi YaYa Yamamoto as Director of the Asia/Oceania Office with effect from the first day of March 2024. She will be based in the office in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. 

Yamamoto succeeds Mr Kazuhiro (Kazu) Hayashi, who will retire on 31 December 2023 after 20 years of service to WADA. During that time, he not only strengthened the Agency's presence in Asia/Oceania, but also made a significant and lasting impact on anti-doping efforts in the region and globally. 

Since 2012, Dr. Yamamoto has led the education and the 'PLAY TRUE 2020, Sport for Tomorrow' project for the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA). In this role, she has successfully fostered collaborations and partnerships with governments, anti-doping agencies, and sports organisations in the Asia/Oceania region, as well as various stakeholders in the global anti-doping community, to promote clean sport. 

In her new role as Director of WADA's Asia/Oceania Regional Office, Dr. Yamamoto will play a crucial role in engaging WADA's stakeholders in the Asia/Oceania region.

The priorities of WADA's regional offices, also located in Cape Town, South Africa, representing Africa; Lausanne, Switzerland, representing Europe; and Montevideo, Uruguay, representing the Americas, are guided by the Agency's strategic priorities. 

In particular, the regional offices liaise with public authorities and regional sports organisations, assist regional stakeholders in developing their anti-doping programmes and complying with the World Anti-Doping Code, support training, cooperate in the implementation of education programmes, and facilitate the collection of WADA's financial contributions in each region. 

Commenting on the appointment, which takes effect on the first day of March, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli stated: "Dr. Mayumi YaYa Yamamoto has extensive experience in sport and anti-doping, having started her career in the field with WADA's Standards and Harmonisation team in 2009." Niggli expressed confidence that Dr. Yamamoto will continue the outstanding legacy of her predecessor, Mr. Kazuhiro (Kazu) Hayashi. 

Dr Yamamoto received her PhD in Philosophy of Sport Policy in Philosophy in Sports Policy and Management from the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University in the UK in 2009, following a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in Sociology of Sport. A former competitive basketball player, she now enjoys playing recreational basketball with friends and family.