Overview

• At a June 17 Senate subcommittee hearing, Marsha Blackburn and others accused WADA of stonewalling and failing to disclose that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before Tokyo 2021.
• U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart told lawmakers that failures in WADA’s oversight could have influenced as many as 96 medals in the 2021 and 2024 Olympics.
• Blackburn reintroduced the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act to empower the Office of National Drug Control Policy to withhold future dues until WADA adopts governance and transparency reforms.
• The Biden administration has already paused its $3.6 million annual payment to WADA in protest of the agency’s handling of the scandal and perceived bias.
• WADA defended its decisions by pointing to an independent review that found no bias and warned that further politicization could undermine global anti-doping efforts as some lawmakers discuss an alternative regulator.