Van Hollen, Blackburn, Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Hold World Anti-Doping Agency Accountable
Following lack of accountability in 2021 Tokyo Olympics, lawmakers push for reform, transparency; in lead-up to Paris, Marylander Katie Ledecky said faith in these systems “is at an all-time low”
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, along with House Select Committee on the CCP Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) introduced the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act, legislation aimed at bringing transparency and accountability to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The bipartisan, bicameral bill permanently provides the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues if WADA fails to operate as a fair and independent actor to ensure athletes are competing in drug-free Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bill authorizes ONDCP to use all available tools to ensure that WADA fully implements governance reforms, including a proper conflict-of-interest policy, and that independent athletes from the United States and other democratic countries, or representatives of such athletes, have decision-making roles on WADA’s Executive Committee, Foundation Board, and all relevant expert advisory groups, committees, and working groups.
“Our Olympic athletes deserve to know that they’re competing on a clean field. But for too long they’ve lacked that confidence, given WADA’s failure to uphold transparency and accountability. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will help provide that, in an effort to restore faith that athletes from around the world are playing on a fair and level field and ensure the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Senator Van Hollen, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which holds jurisdiction over the ONDCP and funding for WADA.
“As the largest financial contributor to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. deserves to have complete confidence in WADA’s ability to regulate unlawful doping so that every athlete gets a fair shot no matter their sport or country,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act would make sure WADA addresses any potential conflicts of interest and properly enforces international anti-doping standards as it was created to do.”
“Athletes around the world deserve to know they are competing on a fair and level playing field at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation will show Olympians and the world that the United States Congress has the backs of athletes that compete clean and with integrity,” said Chairman Moolenaar.
“It’s imperative that athletes, spectators, and fans across the world be able to have confidence that we have a level playing field for sports at all levels, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act will help keep the world of sport free of performance-enhancing substances by ensuring anti-doping standards are enforced properly, thereby maintaining the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for clean athletes around the world," said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
Earlier this year, New York Times' reporting revealed that 23 top Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a powerful performance-enhancing drug, just months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Instead of opening an investigation into the allegations at the time, WADA accepted the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency’s conclusion that the doping was unintentional and caused by food contamination – a theory that many anti-doping experts have questioned. Nearly half of these Chinese swimmers went on to win medals at the Olympics, including three golds. American athletes competed and placed behind the swimmers in many of these races – including Marylander Katie Ledecky, who said faith in these systems “is at an all-time low.” Today, follow-on reporting from the New York Times showed that additional Chinese athletes tested positive for banned substances in 2022.
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