By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States has withheld 2024 dues payments to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy told Reuters on Wednesday, calling for reforms to the global sport watchdog.
The move comes amid a protracted spat between the United States and WADA over the handling of a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who were found to have failed drug tests weeks before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were allowed to compete.
The ONDCP said it had "not yet decided whether to pay dues to WADA," which were due by Dec. 31.
"ONDCP is evaluating all our options as we continue to push WADA to adopt commonsense reforms to restore trust in the world antidoping system and provide athletes the full confidence they deserve," Director Rahul Gupta said in a statement.
"WADA must take concrete actions to restore trust in the world antidoping system and provide athletes the full confidence they deserve."
Gupta began a term as a member of WADA's 16-member Executive Committee as an Americas Representative from a Public Authority in April 2023, and his term was not scheduled to expire until April 2026.
WADA did not directly comment on the ONDCP statement and did not have an immediate response on the ONDCP's stance that it was undecided whether or not to pay its bill.
WADA said the unpaid dues totalled $3.625 million.
It set its 2025 operating budget at $57.5 million, a WADA spokesperson said, adding that any executive committee member representing a country that fails to pay its annual contribution automatically loses their seat.
An investigator selected by the global anti-doping agency said in July that WADA did not mishandle the case involving the Chinese swimmers and reiterated those findings in September.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency celebrated the ONDCP stance, calling the position "the only right choice."
"The current WADA leaders left the U.S. with no other option after failing to deliver on several very reasonable requests, such as an independent audit of WADA's operations, to achieve the transparency and accountability needed to ensure WADA is fit for purpose to protect athletes," USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement.