The White House announced it was withholding $3.6 million in annual dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, after consulting with Congress Wednesday.
The Biden administration said in a statement that WADA “must take concrete actions to restore trust in the world anti-doping system.”
WADA has been under intense scrutiny from U.S. authorities for choosing not to punish or heavily investigate more than 20 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned substances.
WADA responded to the funding cut by removing the United States from its board Wednesday.
The New York Times reports White House officials fear Utah could be stripped of the 2034 Winter Olympics as further punishment.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said “current WADA leaders left the U.S. with no other option” after failing to deliver on several requests, including an independent audit.
The U.S. has contributed more money to WADA since the agency was created in 2000 than any other country, according to USADA CEO Travis Tygart.
When the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Games to Salt Lake City in 2024, it added a contract condition requiring Utah organizers to lobby the U.S. government to end its investigation into WADA’s handling of Chinese doping.
WADA and the IOC have spoken out against a 2019 U.S. law that criminalizes doping intended to influence sports. It allows U.S. prosecutors to seek prison terms of up to 10 years and fines up to $1 million.
Future funding decisions about WADA will now fall to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, which publicly shared a hostile view of WADA during his first term.
