The appropriations bill signed by President Donald Trump this week included a provision that freezes the United States’ annual dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency until the organization takes steps to address US allegations that WADA is beholden to Chinese influence.
New legislation signed by Trump on Tuesday to end the partial government shutdown says any U.S. plan to fund WADA must include the results of an audit “conducted by external anti-doping experts and experienced independent auditors” that shows the agency and its officials “are performing their duties.”
For months, the US government has threatened to withhold WADA’s annual $3.6 million dues. The conflict stems from the revelation that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance in 2021, but were not penalized after WADA accepted Chinese officials’ explanation that the swimmers had eaten contaminated food. WADA, the world’s top anti-doping authority, did not report the incident publicly or to its own executive board.
US government officials have warned they could ultimately lead to a exodus of countries away from WADA’s authority, a drastic move that would dismantle the 27-year-old system that has governed nearly all international sports, including the Olympics and World Cup. US and WADA officials have said they do not see this happening in the near future, but also say they do not know how the conflict will be resolved.
The effort for greater WADA transparency and accountability, which began during the Biden administration, has bipartisan support and no apparent opposition in Congress. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) put its 2024 balance on hold during President Joe Biden’s last year in office, and President Trump’s ONDCP put its 2025 balance on hold. The law Trump signed this week means the US is bound to maintain that policy.
“Governments or individuals who seek to manipulate or avoid the rules must be held accountable,” ONDCP Director Sarah Carter said in a statement. “ONDCP will continue to demand that WADA submit to an independent compliance audit to further the integrity of sport and the fairness of competition. Until this occurs, the United States will not be intimidated or manipulated into paying dues to WADA.”
WADA officials said the organization would not be forced to change its rules of governance, even though the $3.6 million loss — and a similar amount in matching funds — “naturally led to a recalibration of some of our programs,” a WADA spokesperson said in a statement. “Additional contributions from other public authorities around the world have substantially mitigated the negative impact. WADA remains in a strong financial position.”
The United States has been the largest contributor to WADA’s annual budget of approximately $56 million. The language of the appropriations bill provides the United States with broad discretion regarding WADA compliance.
The WADA statement said, “Annual contributions to WADA are not conditional – this was a principle that was established and agreed to by all governments when WADA was established 26 years ago. If every government attached conditions to its WADA dues, it would create chaos.” “However, the fact is that WADA is already independently audited on a regular basis.”
WADA has dismissed US concerns as misplaced and described them as part of a long-standing rivalry between the organization and the head of its US affiliate, US Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.
The International Olympic Committee, which provides 50% of WADA’s funding, has not yet addressed the conflict between the US and the agency. New IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who represented Zimbabwe at the Olympics as a swimmer and attended Auburn University, did not mention the standoff with WADA this week as she met the press during her first Olympic Games as president.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who co-sponsored the bill seeking similar conditions for Americans to resume paying their dues, praised the new law.
“We are pleased that the appropriations package includes provisions to hold WADA accountable and we are committed to making these protections for athletes permanent,” he said in a statement.
USADA’s Tygart, who has been WADA’s most prominent critic for more than a decade, also welcomed the news.
“Now is the time for WADA to organize, and thankfully, as host of the next Olympics, the United States is united in ensuring that fair play and the rights of clean athletes must be upheld,” he said in a statement.
In its statement, a WADA spokesperson said the organization had recently contacted Carter, who was confirmed as ONDCP director a month earlier, to congratulate him on his appointment, and planned to find a solution with him.
“The truth is that WADA stands ready to work with all parties in the United States,” the WADA statement said. “The government has said it can work with us, the organizers of the LA Games have also said, and the anti-doping laboratories in the US have also said that within USADA, WADA has a good working relationship at the expert and operational level.
“We will continue to build strong relationships within the United States, just as we do around the world.”
