The international feud between the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is showing no signs of slowing down in the wake of the Paris Olympics.
On Wednesday, WADA told Reuters that it has learned of three cases between 2011 and 2014 where USADA allowed athletes who had been caught breaking doping rules to continue competing in exchange for information on other violators.
“WADA is now aware of at least three cases where athletes who had committed serious anti-doping rule violations were allowed to continue to compete for years while they acted as undercover agents for USADA, without it notifying WADA and without there being any provision allowing such a practice under the (global) code or USADA’s own rules,” WADA said.
WADA noted that the three athletes are now retired, but it declined to name them due to concerns for their safety. WADA said two were low-ranking runners while another athlete had a higher profile. WADA said it declined to pursue an appeal because the athletes were already retired by the time they learned of USADA’s practice in 2021, at which point it told USADA to stop.
WADA said the higher-profile athlete’s case “was never published, results never disqualified, prize money never returned, and no suspension ever served.”
USADA defended its handling of past cases and said it wants to keep using confidential informants. USADA said WADA knew of this approach before 2021 and is bringing it up now as a “smear” attempt in response to the recent Chinese doping controversy.
“It’s an effective way to get at these bigger, systemic problems,” USADA chief Travis Tygart said. “If you’ve got agents or others who are preying on athletes and trafficking… I think it’s totally appropriate.”
The global anti-doping code gives leeway for suspensions to be reduced if athletes “substantially” assist with a doping investigation. But WADA believes athletes should not continue competing without first being prosecuted and sanctioned publicly.
WADA argued that USADA’s tactic “can be used to justify a failure to prosecute a case for years while doped athletes are sent back into the field as undercover informants to compete against clean athletes.”
The two anti-doping agencies have been embroiled in a war of words ever since news broke earlier this year that 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared of positive doping tests in 2021 due to environmental contamination from their hotel kitchen.
A Swiss prosecutor appointed by WADA to review the global anti-doping authority’s handling of the case found that WADA made an “indisputably reasonable” decision not to challenge the contamination conclusion reached by Chinese authorities. But American law enforcement is also examining the Chinese doping controversy under the Rodchenkov Act, which was passed in 2020 to extend U.S. jurisdiction to international sporting competitions featuring American athletes or financial connections.
Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) inserted a clause into Salt Lake City’s host contract for the 2034 Winter Olympics that allows IOC the right to withdraw the Games if the “supreme authority” of WADA “is not fully respected.” WADA also said last week that it would take USADA to its Independent Compliance Review Committee this month over the Rodchenkov Act, another move that could threaten American hosting plans for Los Angeles 2028 and Salt Lake City 2034.
Related: One Strike, You’re Out: Michael Phelps Calls for Lifetime Ban for Anyone Caught Doping
It’s ludicrous that athletes that are found to have been doping are not suspended or banned, but allowed to compete on the basis of exposing others.
Is this quid pro quo even legal? Who are these athletes and have they qualified or won competitions?
This is a common practice in the United States.
You mean the doping.
It’s not an indictment on countries or organizations but sadly one on people. There are good and bad people everywhere.
Team USA also allowed an artistic swimming athlete to compete at Paris who got caught doping prior to Paris. She has a funny reason though. https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/Calista-Liu-Consent-Award.pdf
I think she was an alternate tho
and that makes it ok???
That really doesn’t matter. She was still caught doping, and was cleared for the dumbest of reasons. She still competed for the us flag no?
Confidential informants? No. You’re not the FBI. I’m usually not a fan of WADA and have been supportive of USADA but knowing this changes everything. Who the hell do they think they are?
This is bad.
Lets be blunt. If we heard this about China we would be asking for a ban. Why not now?
Not really surprised USADA has rats. It’s usually the ones making the biggest fuss that have something to hide.
We just need to clean house on all of these doping governing bodies and cease international competition until athletes and testing agents agree on better leaders of these agencies (it shouldnt be long so dont jump on the keyboard angrily about the international competition comment)
I bet Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps are some of those doped athletes.
you are uniformed. Let’s leave the attention getting gaslighting to Facebook and X
Dale is clearly joking or uninformed but this does put as much of a question mark over performances of some US swimmers in Paris as those over Pan,
uniformed?…how do you know she wears a uniform?
My guess is Ryan Lochte.