Bipartisan House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders have issued a letter to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka, seeking answers about WADA's handling of doping cases within China's national swimming team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The letter comes as athletes prepare for the Paris Olympics and follows Mr. Banka's refusal to attend an oversight hearing by the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The letter includes questions that bipartisan committee members intended to ask during a recent Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing, which Mr. Banka declined to attend. Witnesses at the hearing included Michael Phelps, American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist; Allison Schmitt, American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist; and Travis Tygart, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Key excerpts from the letter state: "We write today to express our sincere disappointment at your refusal to accept our invitation to attend and provide testimony at our recent Subcommittee hearing. Members of Congress have important questions for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and are especially concerned about recent reports of your handling of dozens of cases of doping within the Chinese swimming team."
The committee expressed concerns over WADA’s relationship with CHINADA, China's anti-doping agency, noting that CHINADA’s director Li Zhiquan is also a Committee Secretary for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The letter highlights Zhiquan's calls for loyalty to the party among CHINADA employees and points out potential conflicts of interest involving WADA’s sponsorship arrangement with ANTA Sports, a company sponsoring both the Chinese Olympic Committee and China’s national swimming federation.
"We are particularly concerned with the excessive deference being extended toward CHINADA—a state-funded operation with leadership deeply intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party," stated committee members in their letter.
The committee also addressed concerns regarding WADA's decision not to appeal after 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned substance. Despite evidence suggesting contamination claims were implausible, WADA accepted CHINADA's explanation without further investigation.
"This incident unfortunately reinforces our concern that WADA appears to be reverting to its previous poor management practices," said committee members.
The background provided in the letter notes that three months after testing positive for TMZ in January 2021, CHINADA claimed athletes ingested it through tainted food. This claim was deemed "plausible" by WADA based on external legal advice and scientific assessments. Three affected swimmers won gold medals at Tokyo 2021, while 11 others who tested positive before those games are set to compete in Paris.
In comparison, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva faced stricter scrutiny from WADA when she tested positive for TMZ during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Unlike in China’s case, WADA appealed RUSADA’s decision clearing Valieva, resulting in her four-year ban from competition.
The letter was signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr., (D-NJ), Subcommittee on Innovation Data and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL).
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