By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

MONTREAL (AP) - Polish Sports Minister Witold Banka is the choice to be the next president of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Banka defeated Marcos Diaz of the Dominican Republic in a meeting Tuesday of government representatives, who were choosing a successor to Craig Reedie to lead the drug-fighting body.

Banka entered as Europe's nominee over Linda Helleland, the Norwegian member of the WADA executive committee who had been a vocal critic of the agency's response to the Russian doping scandal.

The 34-year-old Banka has largely avoided discussion of the Russian case that has consumed WADA the past four years, instead pressing for more funding for anti-doping labs across the globe.

Banka is expected to be rubber-stamped into his position at WADA's meeting in November and will take over next year.

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