Paris (AFP) – World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka said Thursday his organisation plans to review the USA's Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act to ensure it was compliance with the global watchdog's rules.
Issued on: 25/07/2024 -
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka told AFP the landmark US law the Rodchenkov Act could be non-compliant with WADA's code
© Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
The 2020 law, named after Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, enables US authorities to prosecute individuals involved in international doping fraud conspiracies.
Conviction can result in fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences of up to 10 years.
The legislation however has become a bone of contention in the acrimonious feud between WADA and US authorities, with Banka telling AFP in an interview that it amounted to an "unfair" parallel anti-doping system.
"The United States cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world," Banka told AFP.
"This case is actually very concerning."
Banka was speaking the day after the International Olympic Committee, who are a stakeholder in WADA, had surprised many by throwing a curve ball at Salt Lake City.
Whilst Salt Lake was awarded the 2034 Winter Games, they were warned the decision could be reversed if US lawmakers and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) were not brought into line.
USADA chief Travis Tygart hit back accusing the IOC of "stooping to threats."
USADA and WADA have seldom seen eye to eye -- most recently over the 23 Chinese swimmers cleared to compete in 2021 -- and it appears the Rodchenkov Act will be their next battleground.
The law targets the entourages of athletes -- coaches, agents, dealers, managers and sports or government officials -- rather than athletes themselves, who are already subject to sanctions by WADA.
In 2023 Eric Lira a "naturopathic" therapist based in the city of El Paso, became the first individual to be convicted under the law for supplying drugs to Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare in the lead-up to the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Most recently Brent Nowicki, the CEO of World Aquatics, was subpoenaed to testify as part of a US criminal investigation into the affair of the Chinese swimmers.
Banka, though, made it clear on Thursday his unease at the Rodchenkov act.
"(The Americans) cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world," he told AFP.
"They can do that in accordance with their legislation. This is the question mark about the harmonisation of the system.
"They have to be part of the system. They cannot create a parallel anti-doping system managed by US. This is completely unfair."
'Mutual respect'
Banka, who has been in charge since January 2020, said if countries followed the USA's lead and enacted similar legislation, it would lead to chaos in the global anti-doping movement.
"What if China, Russia, I don't know, Poland, Germany create a law with the same impact, giving themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all parts of the world?" he said.
"We're going to have a mess. So this is completely unfair and it's unacceptable."
Banka, a former 400 metres runner who won world relay bronze in 2007, says he does not care that it is an act of law in the United States.
"Our obligation is to look at the countries where the anti-doping regulations are implemented through the national legislation," he said.
"You know, from the past we had some non-compliance cases regarding to the national legislation in many countries.
"There is no difference for me between the countries.
"We need to protect the harmonisation of the system to really make sure that there is a level playing field for the athletes and the rules are equal for athletes from all countries in the world."
© 2024 AFP
What is WADA, why is the FBI investigating it and why is it feuding with US anti-doping officials?
Thomas Bach, left, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) waits for guests before a gala dinner at the Louvre Museum, at the Paris Olympic games,Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
Witold Banka, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), attends a press conference at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR
July 25, 2024
PARIS (AP) — The feuding this week among officials in the Olympics, the anti-doping world and the United States government over eradicating drugs from sports is hardly new. They’ve been going at it for decades.
The tension reached a new level on the eve of the Paris Games when the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City but inserted language in the contract demanding its leaders pressure the U.S. government to lobby against an anti-conspiracy law passed in 2020.
There’s virtually no chance that either the law will be overturned or that the IOC would pull the rug from Salt Lake City. Still, the rhetoric keeps flowing. A look at the main characters and issues:
What is WADA?
The World Anti-Doping Agency was formed after the International Olympic Committee called for changes in the wake of some of sports’ most sordid drug-cheating episodes — among them, Ben Johnson’s drug-tainted ouster from the Seoul Games in 1988 and a doping scandal at the 1998 Tour de France.
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Canadian lawyer Richard Pound, a heavyweight in the Olympic movement, became WADA’s founding president in 1999, launching the agency one year ahead of the Sydney Olympics.
The 2020 law, named after Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, enables US authorities to prosecute individuals involved in international doping fraud conspiracies.
Conviction can result in fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences of up to 10 years.
The legislation however has become a bone of contention in the acrimonious feud between WADA and US authorities, with Banka telling AFP in an interview that it amounted to an "unfair" parallel anti-doping system.
"The United States cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world," Banka told AFP.
"This case is actually very concerning."
Banka was speaking the day after the International Olympic Committee, who are a stakeholder in WADA, had surprised many by throwing a curve ball at Salt Lake City.
Whilst Salt Lake was awarded the 2034 Winter Games, they were warned the decision could be reversed if US lawmakers and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) were not brought into line.
USADA chief Travis Tygart hit back accusing the IOC of "stooping to threats."
USADA and WADA have seldom seen eye to eye -- most recently over the 23 Chinese swimmers cleared to compete in 2021 -- and it appears the Rodchenkov Act will be their next battleground.
The law targets the entourages of athletes -- coaches, agents, dealers, managers and sports or government officials -- rather than athletes themselves, who are already subject to sanctions by WADA.
In 2023 Eric Lira a "naturopathic" therapist based in the city of El Paso, became the first individual to be convicted under the law for supplying drugs to Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare in the lead-up to the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Most recently Brent Nowicki, the CEO of World Aquatics, was subpoenaed to testify as part of a US criminal investigation into the affair of the Chinese swimmers.
Banka, though, made it clear on Thursday his unease at the Rodchenkov act.
"(The Americans) cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world," he told AFP.
"They can do that in accordance with their legislation. This is the question mark about the harmonisation of the system.
"They have to be part of the system. They cannot create a parallel anti-doping system managed by US. This is completely unfair."
'Mutual respect'
Banka, who has been in charge since January 2020, said if countries followed the USA's lead and enacted similar legislation, it would lead to chaos in the global anti-doping movement.
"What if China, Russia, I don't know, Poland, Germany create a law with the same impact, giving themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all parts of the world?" he said.
"We're going to have a mess. So this is completely unfair and it's unacceptable."
Banka, a former 400 metres runner who won world relay bronze in 2007, says he does not care that it is an act of law in the United States.
"Our obligation is to look at the countries where the anti-doping regulations are implemented through the national legislation," he said.
"You know, from the past we had some non-compliance cases regarding to the national legislation in many countries.
"There is no difference for me between the countries.
"We need to protect the harmonisation of the system to really make sure that there is a level playing field for the athletes and the rules are equal for athletes from all countries in the world."
© 2024 AFP
What is WADA, why is the FBI investigating it and why is it feuding with US anti-doping officials?
Thomas Bach, left, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) waits for guests before a gala dinner at the Louvre Museum, at the Paris Olympic games,Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
Witold Banka, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), attends a press conference at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR
July 25, 2024
PARIS (AP) — The feuding this week among officials in the Olympics, the anti-doping world and the United States government over eradicating drugs from sports is hardly new. They’ve been going at it for decades.
The tension reached a new level on the eve of the Paris Games when the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City but inserted language in the contract demanding its leaders pressure the U.S. government to lobby against an anti-conspiracy law passed in 2020.
There’s virtually no chance that either the law will be overturned or that the IOC would pull the rug from Salt Lake City. Still, the rhetoric keeps flowing. A look at the main characters and issues:
What is WADA?
The World Anti-Doping Agency was formed after the International Olympic Committee called for changes in the wake of some of sports’ most sordid drug-cheating episodes — among them, Ben Johnson’s drug-tainted ouster from the Seoul Games in 1988 and a doping scandal at the 1998 Tour de France.
ADVERTISEMENT
Canadian lawyer Richard Pound, a heavyweight in the Olympic movement, became WADA’s founding president in 1999, launching the agency one year ahead of the Sydney Olympics.
Who funds and runs WADA?
In 2024, the Montreal-based agency has a budget of about $53 million. The IOC’s contribution of $25 million is matched by the collective contributions of national governments worldwide.
Some say the IOC’s 50% contribution gives it too much say in WADA’s decision-making and a chance to run roughshod over the way it runs its business.
The power of governments is diluted because several dozen countries make up the other half of the funding, with no single nation accounting for much more than about 3% of the budget.
In 2024, the Montreal-based agency has a budget of about $53 million. The IOC’s contribution of $25 million is matched by the collective contributions of national governments worldwide.
Some say the IOC’s 50% contribution gives it too much say in WADA’s decision-making and a chance to run roughshod over the way it runs its business.
The power of governments is diluted because several dozen countries make up the other half of the funding, with no single nation accounting for much more than about 3% of the budget.
What does WADA do?
The agency describes its mission as to “develop, harmonize and coordinate anti-doping rules and policies across all sports and countries.”
It does not collect and test urine and blood samples from athletes. It does certify the sports bodies, national anti-doping agencies and worldwide network of testing laboratories that do.
It drafts, reviews and updates the rules that govern international sports and manages the list of prohibited substances.
WADA also runs its own investigations and intelligence unit, which has broad scope to get involved in cases worldwide.
WADA vs. The IOC
An IOC vice president, Craig Reedie, was WADA’s leader in 2016 when the Russian doping scandal erupted weeks before the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Reedie and Pound, who had led a key investigation of the Russian cheating system, wanted Russia out of the Rio Olympics. IOC President Thomas Bach did not.
At a heated IOC meeting in Rio, Bach won a near-unanimous vote that allowed Russia to compete. It was a severe undercutting of Reedie and, some say, WADA.
What is the Rodchenkov Act?
American authorities were upset with the IOC and WADA handling of the Russian case, so they moved to pass a law named after Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Moscow lab director who became a whistleblower and eventually fled to the United States as a protected witness.
The Rodchenkov Act gave the U.S. government authority to investigate “doping conspiracies” in sports events that involve U.S. athletes, which brings the Olympics and most international events under its umbrella.
It agitated WADA and IOC officials, who don’t want the U.S. enforcing its own anti-doping code. They lobbied against it, but in a sign of WADA’s standing in the United States, the bill passed without a single dissenting vote in 2020.
Why is this coming up now?
Earlier this month, U.S. authorities issued a subpoena to an international swimming official who could have information about the case involving Chinese swimmers who were allowed to compete despite testing positive. WADA did not pursue the case.
With the Summer Games coming to Los Angeles in 2028, then the Winter Games in Utah in 2034, it will be hard for world sports leaders to avoid coming to the U.S., where they, too, could face inquiries from law enforcement.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
GRAHAM DUNBAR
Dunbar is an Associated Press sports news reporter in Geneva, Switzerland. He focuses on the governing bodies, institutions and politics of international sports.
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