United States releases remaining 2021 funds to WADA after previously threatening to withhold payment

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomed the release of outstanding funding by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on Thursday. The payment constituted the remaining amount of funding owed by the United States to the international anti-doping body.

The United States had previously threatened to withhold the full value of its funding for 2021 if the nation’s calls for reforms within WADA were not met by the anti-doping organization.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of ONDCP, ultimately approved the release of the originally withheld funding, which totaled $1,331,923 USD, bringing the total U.S. contribution to WADA for 2021 up to $2,931,923 USD.

WADA President Witold Bańka commented, “I welcome the decision by ONDCP to release the second tranche of its 2021 annual contribution to WADA. It is a clear demonstration of support by the United States government for WADA’s global collaborative mission for doping-free sport.”

He continued, “my discussions with the Director of ONDCP, Dr. Rahul Gupta, on the occasion of WADA’s 25 November Foundation Board meeting were very positive, as were Dr. Gupta’s constructive interventions during the Board meeting itself.”

“I look forward to ongoing collaboration with the U.S. government and all other public authorities around the world. Together with the Sport Movement, athletes and other stakeholders, we will continue working towards providing a level playing field on which athletes worldwide can compete fairly and with confidence.”

The release of funds came after governance reforms were passed at WADA’s Foundation Board meeting in the last quarter of 2021. The reforms included the adoption of a Code of Ethics, and the creation of an Independent Ethics Board.

Additional reforms also broadened athlete representation within the World Anti-Doping Agency, though athlete advocacy groups have been critical of the reforms passed, calling on WADA to “listen to athletes’ calls for equal independent athlete representation and a fully independent Executive Committee.”

Prior to the passage of those reforms, the United States had threatened to withhold part of its annual funding to WADA until the country saw “real progress and a path for more substantial future reform” according to the Associated Press.

WADA responded to that threat with a threat of its own, pay up or face the possibility of sanctions. Ultimately, the United States and the WADA never came to blows, as the passage of the governance reforms package seems to have cooled tensions for the time being.

WADA President Witold Bańka and Director General Olivier Niggli provided a more upbeat outlook on their organization’s relationship with national governments in their new year message to stakeholders stating, “governments provide clout in areas where sport cannot; including, by introducing legislation that prevents the trafficking and distribution of banned substances to athletes; and, by addressing performance enhancing drug abuse beyond elite sport and within wider society.”

They continued, “cooperation between these partners and all partners in the anti-doping ecosystem has been, and will continue to be, instrumental in the development of WADA and of the global anti-doping system.”