US refuses to pay fees to global anti-doping agency

The US has withheld its $3.6 million annual contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), several news agencies reported this week, citing the White House. Washington has accused the global anti-doping watchdog of lacking transparency in handling doping cases and called for reforms, according to the reports.

The decision comes amid a protracted feud between the US and WADA over the so-called ‘Chinese swimmers case.’ It involved 23 Chinese athletes who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

China blamed the failed tests on food contamination and WADA accepted this explanation and allowed them to compete. The decision drew sharp criticism from the US and its national anti-doping agency, USADA.

Washington has “not yet decided whether to pay dues to WADA,” which were scheduled to be paid before December 31, Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), said in a statement seen by the media.

“ONDCP is evaluating all our options as we continue to push WADA to adopt commonsense reforms,” he added. The move was supported by USADA, which called it “the only right choice.”

The feud between the American and global watchdogs further escalated in August 2024 following a Reuters report that focused on claims by WADA that USADA caught several athletes having committed doping violations but turned them into informants rather than punishing them.

WADA did not comment on the ONDCP statement. The global anti-doping agency said earlier that any country failing to pay its annual contribution means its representatives are ineligible to sit on its decision-making bodies. Gupta is currently a member of the WADA’s 16-member Executive Committee, with his term expiring in April 2026.

The development could impact the US’ position in international sports governance as the nation prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. The US is also one of WADA’s largest contributors, providing 6% of its annual budget, according to AP.