The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday directly challenged the United States over its criticism and planned funding withdrawal, calling for global unity against a “drug-friendly” sports competition set to take place in the U.S. next year.
Witold Banka, WADA’s president, implicitly referred to the United States during his speech at the opening of the WADA World Conference on Doping in Sport in Busan, South Korea. He stated that “some voices opted for confrontation instead of cooperation,” acting as if their nations were “above others.”
The remarks came as relations between WADA and the United States have significantly deteriorated. The U.S. is scheduled to cease its financial contributions to WADA in January 2025.
This decision stems from outrage in the United States over WADA’s handling of a 2021 case. WADA cleared 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a banned substance, a decision made public shortly before the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Travis Tygart, the head of the U.S. anti-doping agency (USADA), has been a vocal critic of WADA, launching numerous attacks on the organization since the decision.
Banka directly addressed critics like Tygart, saying, “To those who act as if they come from ‘better’ systems, who expect the world to follow their personal crusades, we respectfully but firmly say: no.”
The WADA chief’s appeal for unity also targeted the “Enhanced Games,” a competition scheduled for May 2025 in Las Vegas, United States. These games permit the use of performance-enhancing substances and do not feature anti-doping rules or tests.
Banka emphasized that “the fight against doping does not belong to one nation or one person.” He urged all sports stakeholders to “remain united by responsibility and not divided by borders or ideologies.”