The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was reported to be considering a rule change that could result in some government officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump, being barred from attending major international sporting events, though the organization has denied it.
According to a report from The Associated Press, the global anti-doping authority has been discussing a rule change that would allow it to bar government officials from countries that haven’t paid their membership dues, which includes the United States.
“According to a draft of the proposal, the rule would apply to governments that have not paid dues by Jan. 31 of the year after they’re billed,” The Associated Press report says. “The U.S. hasn’t paid its WADA dues since 2023. There was no mention of ‘retroactivity’ or lack thereof in the document the executives are considering.”
“The proposal calls for a three-tiered set of sanctions for countries that don’t pay dues. In the U.S. case, that amounts to around $3.7 million from last year, plus $3.6 million it didn’t pay in 2024. Among the most extreme sanctions include ‘government representatives being excluded from participation in major events such as World Championships and Olympic & Paralympic Games.'”
After withholding its annual WADA payment in 2024, doing so in protest of WADA’s handling of the doping case involving Chinese swimmers that came to light in early 2024, the United States lost its seat on the WADA Foundation Board or Executive Committee.
The U.S. notably stopped paying its dues to WADA while under the Biden administration.
The proposal was first brought up in 2024, but U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection, according to The Associated Press.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Although WADA has denied that the rule would apply to the LA Olympics or 2026 World Cup, The Associated Press said it would mostly be symbolic anyway, “given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.”
WADA issued a statement responding to The Associated Press report on Friday, noting that “given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games would not be covered.”
“In fact, discussions related to the issue of governments unilaterally withholding funding from WADA have been ongoing since early 2020 and have nothing specifically to do with the U.S. A working group involving representatives of governments, the Sport Movement and WADA was set up in 2022, a period when the U.S. was still paying its annual contribution.”
WADA said there has been a proposal arise from that working group “that’s aimed at better protecting WADA’s funding so that it can deliver on its global collaborative movement for doping-free sport.”
The proposal is reportedly on the agenda for WADA’s Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday, though the ultimate decision will be made by the Foundation Board, which won’t have its next meeting until November.
You can’t ban the host of the Olympics’ president. Especially one as influential as Trump.
Fun fact is that it is rarely a country that hosts the Olympics. While federal governments often contribute funds, it is mostly local municipalities (cities, local organizing committees, etc.) that host.
“Host country” is a bit of a misnomer.
This seems like an unnecessary attempt to make something non-partisan into a partisan issue. Donald Trump was not president in 2024, Joe Biden was. The decision to withhold fees in 2024, made at the time when a Democrat was in the White House, was continued in 2025, when a Republican was in the White House, thereby making it a non-partisan decision by the United States. WADA and its officials are just upset that the US (rightfully) has called out their mishandling of major cases in the past.
Yup, just what WADA wants to do. It’s like when Iran says to Pres Trump “we’re going have nukes and missiles, what are you going to do about it?” Lol
Uhhh I can tell you get your news from OAN, because Iran did have missiles and tons of drones, and they’re making a big fkin’ mess of the world right now.
I think that ‘fixing Iran’ was probably a fairly bipartisan issue. But Trump doing it without congressional approval and firing or driving out many of the best decision makers, leaving a group of sycophants to advise him, is what people have an issue with.
Yes, the US is going to destroy Iran. But I wouldn’t say this war is going well for American rn lol.
US hasn’t paid since 2023 – That’s a Biden era action, not just Trump.
Why pick a fight you don’t need. There are far more worthy issues to take on a fight with Trump about than expending time, funds, energy fighting the world’s most powerful person on this issue.
WADA should pick and chose its battles wisely.
WADA should give Trump a WADA Peace Prize, because they could be arrested by ICE
WADA should ban Trump for dope, I mean for being one!
His son is one of the major investors in the Enhanced games
Which one, Officer Doofus or Dracula?
Who cares which government officials go to what events. If this is what WADA spends their time deliberating then maybe withholding our funding is a good thing.
On that point, where was that $7 million going to go? Is the implication that because they weren’t fully funded, there were “enhanced athletes” at international competition? Because if not then maybe we should re-evaluate what the membership dues should be. We have a lot of good causes to put money towards in the US
Russia is banned for illegally attacking Ukraine.
USA gets to host World Cup as Olympics and gets all the glory for illegally attacking Iran.
I don’t think that you understand that Iran was inhumanly withholding their people’s rights. On top of that, it’s not illegal to start a war if you’re the president that the people of the United States elected.
It wasn’t illegal if he’s the president
Nixon said this