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OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian government minister Linda Helleland wants to be the next World Anti-Doping Agency president, and its first female leader.
Helleland, the agency's vice president since 2016, tells the BBC "there is a need for change." She says she would like to run in next year's election.
The 40-year-old lawmaker says anti-doping work needs "more transparency, more diversity, more gender equality."
Current WADA president Craig Reedie, an International Olympic Committee member, will stand down after completing two three-year terms.
The presidency alternates between appointments from Olympic sports bodies and government, which jointly fund the agency's work.
Helleland could struggle to gain IOC support after being outspoken about its handling of state-backed Russian doping. At WADA meetings this month, Olympic officials criticized her plan for an audit of the Russian doping scandal.
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