by The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USA) said it “fully supports” the US government’s decision to withhold a $3.6 million (£2.8 million) payment to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). ) in light of the organization’s handling of a major doping scandal.
In April 2024, reports emerged that 23 Chinese swimmers had been cleared to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, despite testing positive for a banned heart drug – called trimetazidine – over the months previous ones.
The country’s anti-doping agency determined that the athletes had ingested the substance unintentionally, with WADA later saying it was “unable to refute” the claim.
USADA Chief Executive Officer Travis Tygart issued a statement on withholding the payment, saying it was the “only right choice to protect the rights, accountability and fair competition of athletes.”
He added that WADA “left the United States with no other option after failing to respond to several very reasonable requests, such as an independent audit of [its] operations, to achieve the necessary transparency and accountability.”
WADA responded to this statement by stating that US representatives will no longer be able to serve on either the foundation board or the executive committee.
At the time the scandal broke, WADA said it had been caught up in “geopolitical tensions” between the two countries, with an independent investigation later finding the agency had not mishandled the case, nor showed any bias towards Chinese swimmers. .
Tygart’s statement added: “Since the revelation of WADA’s failed handling of the positive tests of the 23 Chinese swimmers, which granted China and its athletes special treatment under the rules, many parties Stakeholders from around the world – including athletes, governments and national anti-doping agencies – sought answers, transparency and accountability from WADA leaders.
“Because WADA has failed to uniformly enforce the global rules in place to protect the integrity of competition and the rights of athletes to fairness, meaningful reform must take place within WADA to ensure this never happens again.”
The United States has been WADA’s most significant government partner since the agency’s founding in 2000, and the country will host the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
