US withholds WADA dues; calls for reforms to global anti-doping watchdog

The determination comes successful the aftermath of WADA’s arguable handling of affirmative doping tests by Chinese swimmers who were aboriginal allowed to compete.

The United States has withheld a dues outgo of $3.6m to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for not conducting an autarkic audit of operations, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said.

USADA Chief Executive Officer Travis Tygart said connected Wednesday his radical “fully supports this decision” by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy “as the lone close prime to support athletes’ rights, accountability and just competition”.

WADA said the US authorities owes a full of $3.625m, with WADA’s wide 2025 operating fund astatine $57.5m.

The determination to clasp backmost 2024 WADA dues comes successful the aftermath of WADA’s controversial handling of affirmative doping tests by 23 Chinese swimmers who were aboriginal allowed to compete.

“Unfortunately, the existent WADA leaders near the US with nary different enactment aft failing to present connected respective precise tenable requests, specified arsenic an autarkic audit of WADA’s operations, to execute the transparency and accountability needed to guarantee WADA is acceptable for intent to support athletes,” Tygart said.

“Because WADA failed to uniformly enforce the planetary rules successful spot to support the integrity of contention and athletes’ rights to fairness, important betterment astatine WADA indispensable hap to guarantee this ne'er happens again.”

In a statement, WADA confirmed the non-payment and noted the determination would support US representatives disconnected its enforcement committee for 2025.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it did not person the agreed publication to WADA’s 2024 fund from the Government of the United States by the deadline of 31 December 2024,” WADA said.

“Under Article 6.6 of the WADA Statutes, Public Authority representatives from a state which has not paid its dues are ineligible to beryllium connected the Foundation Board oregon the Executive Committee. Therefore, connected 1 January of each year, immoderate Foundation Board oregon Executive Committee subordinate representing a state that has not paid its yearly publication for the erstwhile twelvemonth automatically loses their seat.”

An researcher selected by the planetary anti-doping bureau said successful July that WADA did not mishandle the lawsuit involving the Chinese swimmers and reiterated those findings successful September.

The US has been the apical authorities paying into WADA’s fund since WADA began successful 2000, Tygart said, noting the authorization to withhold outgo to WADA was established by President Donald Trump successful conjunction with the US Congress.

This came successful the aftermath of the Russia state-sponsored doping strategy surrounding the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

“As a effect of WADA’s nonaccomplishment during this bittersweet saga that yet saw Russia rob hundreds of athletes from the US and different countries astatine the highest levels of competition, Congress passed the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which President Trump signed into instrumentality successful 2020,” Tygart said.

That prompted authorities allowing the US authorities to withhold outgo from WADA if, successful Tygart’s words, “it did not enactment successful a fair, effective, and transparent manner.”

Tygart said the non-payment of dues volition person nary effect connected US athletes oregon their close to vie successful events worldwide.

“The non-payment volition person nary interaction connected the existent anti-doping programme successful the US and USADA volition proceed to robustly instrumentality its WADA Code programme truthful that each US Olympic and Paralympic athletes’ rights are protected,” Tygart said.

“We request a beardown and autarkic WADA and we volition proceed to enactment with each stakeholders successful the US and internationally to guarantee the planetary strategy delivers connected the committedness of cleanable athletics to the world’s athletes.”

Tygart besides highlighted large events coming to the US successful the adjacent future, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

“Now is the clip to get WADA close to guarantee these competitions connected US ungraded are clean, harmless and a pageantry of just contention successful which we tin each person religion and confidence,” said Tygart.