United States Congress’s Letter to World Anti-Doping Agency Furthers Tension Between the Two

In a bipartisan letter sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), U.S. members of Congress criticized WADA for opening an investigation into the leak that revealed 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for performance enhancers before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The letter maintained that this investigation would attack whistleblowers and intimidate individuals. The letter was signed by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Chris van Hollen (D-Maryland) and Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Michigan) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois).

“Operation Puncture” seeks to reveal how the agency cleared the swimmers who had tested positive for banned heart medication. WADA originally stated that they felt the samples were tampered with and political motivations may have been involved. Günter Younger, director of Intelligence and Investigations at WADA, commented that they rely on whistleblowers to find out who is taking illegal drugs. He reassured that this investigation would have no impact on individual protection. WADA also stated that they are looking into the leak and what the motivations were, but not the specific individuals.

The World Anti-Doping Agency was created in 1999 alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to monitor the rising use of performance enhancing drugs in international sporting competitions. WADA also established the World Anti-Doping Code that has been adopted by over 650 sports organizations and has become the standard for anti-doping policies.

WADA receives half of their funding from the IOC and the other from national governments. They insist that they are a neutral body but that proves increasingly difficult if they are financially compensated by a variety of countries each with their own political agenda.

This letter follows a recent suspension of funding from the US government to WADA. In 2024, the United States did not pay the $3.6 million to WADA, citing their longtime frustration with WADA’s handling of Chinese steroid cases. WADA then suspended any American officials from its board and top committees.

At ​​WADA’s World Conference on Doping in Sport held in early December in Busan, South Korea, Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, emphatically called for unification, stating, “There is only one fight that we should be fighting – and that is the fight against doping. But instead, at times, we have been turning on each other. The only people who benefit from this disunity are the drug cheaters.”

With the World Cup coming to North America in 2026 and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, Congress’s tension with WADA will certainly impact international cooperation. This powerful letter also proves that international sports will never be separated from politics.

Eliana Halivni is a student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying History and Sports Administration. Her LinkedIn can be found here.