U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has expressed approval following the Senate Commerce Committee’s advancement of her bipartisan bill, the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act. The legislation seeks to grant the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) permanent authority to withhold membership dues from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if it fails to ensure drug-free Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Senator Blackburn recently led a hearing aimed at holding WADA accountable for not investigating Chinese swimmers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the Tokyo Olympics. “Since the Chinese doping scandal came to light, WADA has done everything it can to intimidate advocates for fair play and stonewall Congress,” stated Senator Blackburn. “With the Commerce Committee passing my bipartisan Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act, we have sent a message to WADA that accountability and oversight are coming.”
The controversy arose last year when reports surfaced about more than two dozen Chinese swimmers testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency cleared these athletes without following proper procedures. Despite being informed, WADA did not intervene or enforce its rules, allowing over a dozen swimmers to compete in the Olympics and win several medals.
Further reports indicated that two additional Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances in 2022 but were also secretly cleared by Chinese authorities. The new legislation aims to empower ONDCP to withhold U.S. contributions to WADA until governance reforms are fully implemented, including ensuring independent athletes have a decision-making role within WADA’s Executive Committee.
Co-sponsors of this act include Senators Chris Van Hollen, Shelley Moore Capito, Richard Blumenthal, Roger Wicker, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Ben Ray Luján. In addition, Representatives John Moolenar and Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced corresponding legislation in the House.
