Representatives John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, along with Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), have introduced the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2024. The proposed legislation aims to grant the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) permanent authority to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if it fails to ensure fair competition at Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Athletes around the world deserve to know they are competing on a fair and level playing field at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation will show Olympians and the world that the United States Congress has the backs of athletes that compete clean and with integrity,” said Chairman Moolenaar.
“It’s imperative that athletes, spectators, and fans across the world be able to have confidence that we have a level playing field for sports at all levels, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act will help keep the world of sport free of performance-enhancing substances by ensuring anti-doping standards are enforced properly, thereby maintaining the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for clean athletes around the world," stated Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
“As the largest financial contributor to WADA, the U.S. deserves to have complete confidence in WADA’s ability to regulate unlawful doping so that every athlete gets a fair shot no matter their sport or country,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act would make sure WADA addresses any potential conflicts of interest and properly enforces international anti-doping standards as it was created to do.”
“Our Olympic athletes deserve to know that they’re competing on a clean field. But for too long they’ve lacked that confidence, given WADA’s failure to uphold transparency and accountability. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will help provide that, in an effort to restore faith that athletes from around the world are playing on a fair and level field and ensure the integrity of Olympic and Paralympic Games,” remarked Senator Van Hollen.
The bill would empower ONDCP with tools necessary for ensuring WADA's compliance with governance reforms, including conflict-of-interest policies. It also seeks representation for independent athletes from democratic countries on WADA’s Executive Committee.
In April, reports surfaced from The New York Times indicating over two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs prior to Tokyo's 2021 Olympics but were cleared by China's Anti-Doping Agency without intervention from WADA. Several swimmers competed in these games winning multiple medals.
