By Michael Martina
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday threatened to cut U.S. funding for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), accusing it of failing to properly investigate alleged doping by Chinese Olympic swimmers.
The U.S., the largest single country funder of WADA, has accused the body of not disclosing that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance-enhancing trimetazidine (TMZ) months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The incident has cast a shadow over the Paris Olympics and sparked a row between the global and American anti-doping agencies. WADA responded to U.S. allegations by saying it would take the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to the Independent Compliance Review Committee, a move that could jeopardize plans for the U.S. to host the 2028 and 2034 Olympics.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced the "Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2024," which would give the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) permanent authority to reduce or revoke U.S. funding for WADA.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, cosponsor of the bill, said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA had tried to "strong arm" the U.S. into dropping an FBI investigation into the matter by threatening Salt Lake City's bid to host the Winter Games in 2034.
"We will not be silenced for trying to promote fair play. This legislation would allow the U.S. to withhold funding to WADA if they do not ensure fair representation on its governing bodies," Blackburn told reporters.
The IOC, which established WADA, has told the U.S. to fall in line and added an amendment in the host city contract for the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City that would allow it to terminate the deal "in cases where the supreme authority of WADA" is not respected.
Any country wanting to compete in or stage an international sporting event must be compliant with the anti-doping code, meaning if the review went against the U.S. it would have to forfeit participating in and hosting the Olympics.
The U.S. is due to host the summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Blackburn was joined on the bill by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, and John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Republican chair and Democratic ranking member of the House select committee on China.
The U.S. contributed about $3.4 million to WADA's nearly $50 million budget in 2023 and the body has budgeted for a similar amount for 2024.
The swimmers were cleared by a Chinese investigation, which said they were inadvertently exposed to the drug through contamination at a hotel where traces of TMZ were discovered in the kitchen. WADA said it had no evidence to challenge China's findings.
The incident was not made public at the time, but some of the Chinese swimmers went on to win medals in Tokyo and are competing at the Paris Olympics.
China's embassy in Washington criticized the bill, saying the U.S. should not interfere in the global anti-doping governance system.
"This non-existent case that the U.S. keeps selling and the threats it hurls at the international organization are all about degrading fine Chinese athletes and obstructing their participation in the Paris Olympics," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.