The World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, has been under intense scrutiny from U.S. authorities for choosing not to punish more than 20 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Summer Games.
Earlier this year the White House announced it was withholding over $3 million in annual dues to WADA until the agency takes “concrete actions to restore trust in the world anti-doping system.”
At a subcommittee hearing about WADA in Washington D.C. Tuesday, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said the International Olympic Committee used the 2034 Winter Games bid to intimidate U.S. officials.
“We have reports of secretive contract arrangements and backroom deals between WADA, the IOC and parties connected to Salt Lake City’s bid, all while WADA’s own failures go unaddressed,” the Republican Blackburn said. “This is nothing short of a scandal, and it actually strikes at the heart of the Olympic spirit.”
When the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Games to Salt Lake City last year, 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 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.
Blackburn said WADA declined to appear before senators Tuesday, despite the U.S. historically being the largest financial contributor to the agency.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said it appeared that WADA made unfair demands of Salt Lake City officials to “stymie legitimate federal investigations into its role in the swimmer doping scandal.”
“News reports indicated that the IOC, likely in cooperation with WADA, took an unprecedented move to demand that Utah officials sign a contract to recognize the “supreme authority” of WADA in order to host the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City,” Cruz said.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, who has been extremely critical of WADA, said the situation highlights the importance of independence in anti-doping enforcement. But Tygart downplayed the scandal’s influence on Salt Lake City’s 2034 bid.
“We’ve been assured from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee that it’s meaningless,” Tygart said. “There was no quid pro quo in their mind.”
Tygart criticized the Chinese authorities who claimed the swimmers accidentally ingested a banned drug known as TMZ while eating hamburgers at a restaurant in Beijing.
“TMZ is a prescription medication in some countries,” Tygart said. “It does not just show up in the kitchen. It’s unbelievable to think Tinker Bell showed up and sprinkled it within the kitchen.”
Blackburn and other lawmakers have introduced a bill that would provide the Office of National Drug Control Policy the authority to withhold dues to WADA if the organization “fails to operate as a fair and independent actor.”
The discussion around doping in sports is expected to remain prevalent as the U.S. hosts several major events over the next decade, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028 and the 2034 Winter Games in Utah.
