Photo: WADA.
Meeting on June 16, the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency focused in particular on the issue of the operational independence of National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs). The dedicated working group presented a report containingt 19 recommendationsOne of these concerns the need for independent controls at major events. This is raising eyebrows, particularly in the United States, two years before the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Avoid suspicions of bias
WADA explains that during competitions such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games or the World Championships, « The host country's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO) would no longer participate in developing the doping control allocation plan, selecting athletes to be tested, certain aspects of sample collection, or managing results. These functions would instead be carried out by an independent and impartial body, thus eliminating any real or perceived risk of conflict of interest or bias. "The working group recommends that this model, already favoured for the Olympics, be applied more broadly."
The AMA emphasizes that the NADOs would remain involved in logistical support, coordination with law enforcement for intelligence and investigative purposes, and the implementation of educational programs. This policy would help prevent the « allegations of bias on the part of the host country, whether founded or not " saysthe president of WADA, Witold Bańka. « We have seen in the past how some major events, and therefore the athletes participating in them, have suffered from a lack of oversight and independence in the implementation of anti-doping programs. Establishing a completely independent process will help prevent such situations from recurring and will guarantee equal treatment for all athletes, regardless of their nationality. »
USADA calls this initiative "dangerous".
The United States was quick to react. It must be said that they are on the front line given the number of events that will be held on their soil in the coming years, with the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups, and the 2034 Winter Games. USADA, already in conflict with WADA since the Chinese swimmers affair, strongly opposed this model. Set aside truly independent national anti-doping organizations would represent constitutes a dangerous step backwards "For USADA President Travis Tygart, who reacted in a statement.
« Clean athletes, fans, and the public deserve genuine independence, genuine accountability, and a system that protects them—not a system that shields sport from all oversight and the global anti-doping body from any accountability. " he blurts out. Incidentally, Travis Tygart took the opportunity to remind everyone the inability of WADA and World Aquatics to enforce mandatory rules in the 23 cases of Chinese swimming ", in an attempt to discredit this idea.
Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), expressed the same view. The strong and dynamic participation of national anti-doping agencies in the anti-doping ecosystem is of particular importance to the United States as we strive to ensure the cleanest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history. "She wrote in an open letter. It's certainly not likely that WADA and USADA will be on the same page anytime soon."
