After reports on Chinese swimmers, US bill threatens to cut funding for anti-doping agency

Legislation could withhold payment to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is accused of covering up Chinese athletes’ positive tests

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Members of the Chinese women’s swimming team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 included Tang Muhan (second from left), who tested positive for an anabolic steroid in 2022 and is at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 3:30am, 31 Jul 2024Updated: 6:09am, 31 Jul 2024

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers announced legislation on Tuesday that would give Washington greater authority to withhold funding from the global body that oversees national drug-testing programmes, amid reports of Chinese Olympic athletes being cleared after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Introduced by Senators Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, and Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2024 was also supported by the leaders of the House select committee on China, Representatives John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois.

The bill would require the US Office of National Drug Control Policy to assess the World Anti-Doping Agency’s independence and would give it permanent authority to withhold voluntary contributions to the agency if independence is found lacking. With a 2023 payment of US$3.4 million, the US is the largest donor to the agency, known as Wada.

If a conclusion of faulty conduct is made, the bill would also push the national drug control office to get the US representation on Wada, including on its executive committee. While Wada does not have the authority to guarantee the US seats, lawmakers say the ultimate goal of the bill is to empower US agencies to “use all available tools” to ensure that the global body has a “credible and independent governance model”.

Tuesday’s action is the latest in a continuing debate within the athletic world, where China’s record has long been a lightning rod.

In introducing the bill, legislators referenced a New York Times report from Tuesday, which cites anonymous sources saying that Wada chose not to appeal China’s decision to clear two elite swimmers who tested positive for metandienone, an anabolic steroid, in 2022, despite doubts from at least one expert for the body. One of the swimmers, Tang Muhan, is a member of China’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.