WADA Delays Vote on Officials Ban Over Unpaid Dues

The World Anti-Doping Agency delayed a decision on Tuesday on a proposal to bar government officials from major international sporting events if their countries withhold membership dues, postponing any potential restrictions on U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, until after this summer's FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The WADA executive committee, meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, voted to revisit the measure in September, two months after the World Cup concludes. If approved then, the rule could take effect before the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The proposal stems from a years-long funding dispute with the United States, which has withheld $7.3 million in annual contributions for 2024 and 2025. This action, taken under both the Biden and Trump administrations, protests WADA's handling of doping cases, particularly one involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in 2021 but were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics after WADA accepted explanations of accidental contamination from hotel food.

WADA Director General Olivier Niggli emphasized the broader consequences of such funding shortfalls...