US cuts funding to World Anti-Doping Agency, demanding reform from the global watchdog

CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency Travis Tygart testifies during a hearing before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of House Energy and Commerce Committee February 28, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The subcommittee held a hearing on "Ways to Improve and Strengthen the International Anti-Doping System." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

By Craig Ray

9 Jan 2025

The US, the biggest funder to the World Anti-Doping Agency, has cut its funding.

The tension between the US and World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) increased this week with news that the US would suspend its funding to the global anti-doping organisation.

The US has been the biggest funder of Wada since its inception in 2000. It withheld its annual contribution this year, supporting the view of the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada), which was highly critical of Wada’s handling of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned stimulant trimetazidine (TMZ).

The US government did not pay its annual contribution of $3.625-million, calling for reforms to the global doping watchdog.

The US is one of several countries that provide Wada funding, which has an annual operating budget of more than $57-million.

US contributions to Wada have been paid through the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which confirmed its position in a statement.

“ONDCP is evaluating all our options as we continue to push Wada to adopt commonsense reforms to restore trust in the world anti-doping system and provide athletes the full confidence they deserve,” director Rahul Gupta said.

Wada “must take concrete actions” in this regard.

Meek

Wada’s meek response to the Chinese swimmers who tested positive for TMZ, months before the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, led to a standoff with Usada.

Wada accepted the version from the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency that TMZ was found in the swimmers’ systems because they had been victims of “contamination”, without conducting an on-the-ground investigation.

None of the Chinese swimmers was suspended, even provisionally, and all continued with their careers.

Read more: Trust, transparency? The not-so-strict liability of Wada’s handling of the Chinese swimming doping controversy

TMZ is non-specified under hormone and metabolic modulators. So, a provisional suspension should have been applied according to Wada’s own Code. The fact that it wasn’t sparked a war of words between Usada and Wada.

Travis Tygart, the outspoken head of Usada, was heavily critical of Wada at the time the news of the 23 Chinese swimmers broke in early 2024, and he has remained critical since.

Doping US Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart testifies during a hearing before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington on 28 February 2017. The hearing concerned ‘ways to improve and strengthen the international anti-doping system’. (Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images)

‘Ought to be a war’

In an interview with Daily Maverick in 2024, Tygart warned that the US government might consider cutting funding to Wada as a result of its inaction.

“It ought to be a war,” Tygart told Daily Maverick. “It is one, from our position. Wada, of course, wanted to make it personal and divert attention away from the fact that China didn’t enforce the rules.

“They turned a blind eye to the enforcement of those rules. What was really frustrating to us, right after it got exposed through a media leak, was that they said they would do it all over again, in the same exact way.

“That was a blow for those of us in the trenches who enforce these rules on a daily basis. Our athletes are saying, ‘Well, wait a minute, we know this isn’t right’.

“It has everything to do with the fact that we need answers, because our athletes are asking us for answers. Our taxpayers who pay Wada are asking for answers.”

Standoff

Wada has responded to the US’s decision by saying representatives from the US would now be ineligible to sit on its foundation board or executive committee.

It’s an extraordinary standoff, especially in light of the fact that the 2026 Fifa World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles are both taking place in the US.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency confirms that it did not receive the agreed contribution to Wada’s 2024 budget 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 country which has not paid its dues are ineligible to sit on the foundation board or the executive committee.

“Therefore, on 1 January of each year, any foundation board or executive committee member representing a country that has not paid its annual contribution for the previous year automatically loses their seat.

“The outstanding amount owed to Wada by the US government is $3.625m. For context, Wada’s overall budget for 2025 has been approved at $57.5m.”

This is unlikely to perturb the US or Usada in the current frosty climate.

Tygart went on the front foot on 8 January, demanding Wada reform.

“Since the exposure of Wada’s failed handling of the 23 Chinese swimmers’ positive tests that gave China and its athletes special treatment under the rules, many stakeholders from around the world – including athletes, governments and National Anti-Doping Agencies – have sought answers, transparency and accountability from Wada leadership,” Tygart said.

“Because Wada failed to uniformly enforce the global rules in place to protect the integrity of competition and athletes’ rights to fairness, significant reform at Wada must occur to ensure this never happens again.” DM

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