This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, a US government study made a bold recommendation to US lawmakers: withhold funding to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if the global drugs watchdog fails to implement governance reforms.
The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released a 19-page report lambasting WADA over its response to the Russian doping affair, saying the agency had failed to hold Moscow to account for the scandal.
According to the report, WADA's governance structure has been criticized for being inadequate, with the agency failing to hold major countries accountable under the rules and upholding the expectations of clean athletes.
“The Russian doping scandal continues to demonstrate inadequacies in WADA's independence and capacity to firmly, effectively, and in a timely manner enforce compliance with the Code, hold major countries accountable under the rules and uphold the expectations of clean athletes,” the report said.
The United States provides $2.7 million in funding to WADA each year, making it the largest single government contributor to the agency's funding. However, the ONDCP study questioned whether the United States was receiving value for money for its contribution.
“The United States Government has a duty to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are spent effectively for the purpose to which they are appropriated,” the report said.
The report called for WADA's governance to be reformed to include independent athlete and anti-doping representatives on its committees and decision-making bodies. It also recommended that WADA's leadership be “free from undue influence by sports organisations with a direct financial interest in WADA decisions.”
The United States Anti-Doping Agency has long criticized WADA's governance structure, questioning whether the organization can operate independently with so many sports federation officials and International Olympic Committee members wielding influence within the agency.
