WADA delays decision over potential ban of Trump from major sporting events until after World Cup
The World Anti-Doping Agency postponed a decision on Tuesday. decision regarding the dismissal of public officials Barring their countries from major sporting events unless they voluntarily pay dues would trigger a potential conflict with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials at least until after this summer’s World Cup.
WADA’s board of directors met and said it would consider the new rule in September, two months after the end of the World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
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If there is such a rule accepted later this yearIt will likely come into force before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The USA has not paid its dues since 2023. If this goes ahead, the new rule could put Trump and US lawmakers on the banned list for the Games in their home countries, but there are doubts about whether an anti-doping regulator could prevent anyone from taking part in the Olympics.
The conflict with WADA in the United States, which paused payments in 2024 and 2025 (once during Trump’s presidency and once during Joe Biden’s presidency), has not been a particularly partisan issue.
The U.S. withheld $7.3 million for two years in protest of WADA’s handling of a lawsuit and other matters involving Chinese swimmers.
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WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald previously told The Associated Press that the proposed rule “will not be applied retroactively, so the World Cup, Los Angeles and SLC Games will not be covered.”
But the proposal, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, did not say so, and Fitzgerald did not respond to multiple emails seeking clarification on his use of the word “retroactive.”
Following the meeting on Tuesday, WADA chief executive Olivier Niggli said “the withholding of contributions from governments for political or other voluntary reasons remains a matter of serious concern for all WADA stakeholders.”
“Funding instability has a direct impact on the functioning and development of the World Anti-Doping Programme,” Niggli said. “Ultimately, those who are most directly and negatively affected are world-class athletes.”
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WADA started investigating the issue in 2020, when the US threatened to withhold money. However, it is stated that the issue of punishing governments for non-payment is not directly related to the USA.
A U.S. representative on the executive committee during the Biden administration (drug czar Rahul Gupta) led efforts to reject the proposal in 2024.
The United States has since lost its seat on the committee. The proposal surfaced again earlier this year, and in correspondence with European policymakers, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, WADA told them such a measure could be adopted “without undue delay.”
The Europeans also asked WADA why the executive committee had revisited the issue before a working group had finished its analysis.
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The executive committee’s decision will need to be approved by the WADA foundation board. Its next meeting will be held in November, but WADA stated in its letter to Europeans in February that the board could meet earlier.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
