The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been accused of failing to sufficiently tackle doping in sport by a host of athletes, sports ministers and national governing bodies at an emergency summit held at the White House on Wednesday.
The first-of-its-kind meeting, hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the United States anti-doping agency (Usada), came after WADA’s decision in September to lift a ban on Russia’s anti-doping agency (Rusada), following the scandal which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme in the country.
Among a range of significant developments to come from the summit – to which WADA itself claimed not to have been invited – world steeplechase champion Emma Coburn stated: “WADA has failed us. It has bullied and disheartened athlete voices.”
James Carroll, ONDCP deputy director, stopped short of threatening to withdraw the US$4.5 million invested annually by the US into WADA, but reinforced the necessity for serious reform from the embattled anti-doping body.
British gold medal-winning cyclist Callum Skinner accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the anti-doping body, of letting athletes down by failing to accept advice and to agree to reform the organisation.
He said: “Who and what does Wada and the IOC truly represent? The number one answer should be the athletes. But what have we got? Two bodies that suppress the athlete voice, treating it with disdain and dismissing it as misinformed when they should be applauding athlete debate and engagement.”
He added: “Instead of backing the thousands of clean athletes around the world who have the right to compete on a level playing field they bow to politics over principle, earnings over ethics, autocracy over accountability. No one knows sport better than the athletes. It’s about time the leaders of the IOC and WADA remember who they serve. But accountability, transparency and independence unfortunately is not the status quo.”
Travis Tygart, the chief executive of Usada, dismissed WADA’s claims that the organisation had not been invited to the event.
He said: “Contrary to what the Wada leadership would like to have people believe, Wada was invited, hence why Wada vice‑president Linda Helleland was in the room championing clean sport and listening to athletes. There were also Wada executive committee members – Edwin Moses and Clayton Cosgrove. Wada leadership is trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes once again.”
WADA president Sir Craig Reedie responded to the White House summit by criticising a perceived lack of balance.
A statement read: ‘We welcome debate on this issue and we promote people’s right to discuss and promote reforms. But unfortunately it would seem as though only one side of the story was heard in Washington.’
The decision to reinstate Usada was met, at the time, with widespread condemnation from athletes and other anti-doping bodies, including UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and a spokesman for Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.
WADA’s executive committee (ExCo) voted 9-2 in favour of reinstating Rusada, having previously recommended the suspension on the anti-doping agency should be lifted. Russian athletes remain banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until at least December.
An alternative doping body, the International Testing Agency (ITA), billed as 'a major player in the global fight against doping', started operations in June. The ITA is IOC-approved and has already signed International Boxing Federation (AIBA) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been accused of failing to sufficiently tackle doping in sport by a host of athletes, sports ministers and national governing bodies at an emergency summit held at the White House on Wednesday.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been accused of failing to sufficiently tackle doping in sport by a host of athletes, sports ministers and national governing bodies at an emergency summit held at the White House on Wednesday.
The first-of-its-kind meeting, hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the United States anti-doping agency (Usada), came after WADA’s decision in September to lift a ban on Russia’s anti-doping agency (Rusada), following the scandal which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme in the country.
Among a range of significant developments to come from the summit – to which WADA itself claimed not to have been invited – world steeplechase champion Emma Coburn stated: “WADA has failed us. It has bullied and disheartened athlete voices.”
James Carroll, ONDCP deputy director, stopped short of threatening to withdraw the US$4.5 million invested annually by the US into WADA, but reinforced the necessity for serious reform from the embattled anti-doping body.
British gold medal-winning cyclist Callum Skinner accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the anti-doping body, of letting athletes down by failing to accept advice and to agree to reform the organisation.
He said: “Who and what does Wada and the IOC truly represent? The number one answer should be the athletes. But what have we got? Two bodies that suppress the athlete voice, treating it with disdain and dismissing it as misinformed when they should be applauding athlete debate and engagement.”
He added: “Instead of backing the thousands of clean athletes around the world who have the right to compete on a level playing field they bow to politics over principle, earnings over ethics, autocracy over accountability. No one knows sport better than the athletes. It’s about time the leaders of the IOC and WADA remember who they serve. But accountability, transparency and independence unfortunately is not the status quo.”
Travis Tygart, the chief executive of Usada, dismissed WADA’s claims that the organisation had not been invited to the event.
He said: “Contrary to what the Wada leadership would like to have people believe, Wada was invited, hence why Wada vice‑president Linda Helleland was in the room championing clean sport and listening to athletes. There were also Wada executive committee members – Edwin Moses and Clayton Cosgrove. Wada leadership is trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes once again.”
WADA president Sir Craig Reedie responded to the White House summit by criticising a perceived lack of balance.
A statement read: ‘We welcome debate on this issue and we promote people’s right to discuss and promote reforms. But unfortunately it would seem as though only one side of the story was heard in Washington.’
The decision to reinstate Usada was met, at the time, with widespread condemnation from athletes and other anti-doping bodies, including UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and a spokesman for Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.
WADA’s executive committee (ExCo) voted 9-2 in favour of reinstating Rusada, having previously recommended the suspension on the anti-doping agency should be lifted. Russian athletes remain banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until at least December.
An alternative doping body, the International Testing Agency (ITA), billed as 'a major player in the global fight against doping', started operations in June. The ITA is IOC-approved and has already signed International Boxing Federation (AIBA) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
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