Political pressure on WADA from the US and Europe over stalemate in Chinese swimming case

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is under increased political pressure from Europe to resolve the long-standing dispute between WADA and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ), seven months prior to the delayed games in 2021.

This came to light during the Play the Games conference in Tampere last month, where Finland's former minister of youth, sport, and physical activity and member of WADA's foundation board, Sandra Bergqvist participated in a session about the anti-doping crisis alongside Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA, Hajo Seppelt, CEO of EyeOpening Media, Brett Clothier, head of Athletics Integrity Unit, and Richard W. Pound, honorary IOC member and former president of WADA.

Former minister wants a new leadership in WADA

Later, Play the Game asked Sandra Bergqvist how she views the possibility of resolving the dispute.

“I think we need to start over to build up the good work that WADA has been doing for many, many years. Unfortunately, the situation right now is quite infected, so I think we need some new people who can start working all over again,” the member of the Finnish parliament said.

"WADA needs new leadership. That is the only solution to preserve all the good work WADA has done. I think it is more important now than ever that we are focusing on all the good things that WADA has been doing."

Who should take the first step?

“I think it is important that we discuss the matter and find solutions together, even if it is hard.”

Can the governments play a role in pushing for the development you are talking about?

“Yes, we all have people who are representing us in the organisation, and I think it is important that we now bring this matter up to political discussion.”

The Council of Europe wants to get out of the stalemate

The debate at Play the Game's anti-doping session was followed by Stanislas Frossard, the executive secretary of the Council of Europe's Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS).

“The Council of Europe is committed to WADA as our deputy secretary general is a member of the foundation board of WADA, and via a committee called CAHAMA we are coordinating the position of our public authorities in WADA. So, we are deeply concerned and feel committed to WADA, and I was very pleased to see that WADA’s role and unique architecture was not questioned by the stakeholders in this debate,” Stanislas Frossard told Play the Game.

“I am a little bit concerned about the questions raised about WADA’s leadership, but our deputy secretary general is in contact with all stakeholders to facilitate a dialogue. We need to find a solution to get out of this stalemate.”

The founding WADA president was named as a potential broker 

During the session at Play the Game's conference, Richard W. Pound was named as a possible broker in the dispute between WADA and USADA. The founding president of WADA later told Play the Game that he doesn’t think politicians are needed to solve the dispute.

“You need somebody who has some political skills and is able to encourage a dialogue and find out what the topics and the objectives are.”

Would you be interested if the two parties ask you?

“I would like to think about it and make sure it is sincere. I don’t think it is a huge and complicated issue. A dialogue between USADA and WADA may seem difficult, but it is not impossible, and if the two sides are not in good faith, you can identify that pretty quickly.”

USADA reached out to Pound last year

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he fully supports the idea of bringing in Richard W. Pound as a mediator in the dispute.

“One thousand per cent. We have been attempting to sit down and have a discussion with WADA. I called Pound and reached out to him and spoke to him in June 2024, two months after the whole thing exploded. We respect each other, we have done this together for a long time, and we want WADA to be successful, so I asked him to reach out to them and bring us together,” Tygart told Play the Game.

A couple of weeks later, Tygart let the chair of the US Olympic Committee know that he had reached out to Richard W. Pound to try to bring the two sides together.

“And I asked the US Olympic Committee to reach out to the IOC as well to try to bring us together. I wrote a letter asking WADA to meet in Paris and that we would bring in the IOC and the US Olympic Committee to have a conversation about the way forward and pull this disagreement out of the media. They just absolutely refused.”

Bańka and Niggli refused to meet Tygart

According to Travis Tygart, he sent a couple of other letters after that and continued to make offers to sit down and meet through the US Olympic Committee as well as through the US government. In December 2024, he tried to meet with WADA president Witold Bańka and director general Olivier Niggli at the agency’s foundation board meeting in Riyadh.

“Bańka and Niggli would not meet. I then sent another letter in June of this year, incredibly respectful and diplomatic, asking once again to sit down and speak with them. They refused to do so,” Tygart said, adding that he has given up meeting with Bańka and Niggli to find a solution to the dispute.

“I am hopeful that it will happen, and I think others are interested in that happening, the US government, the IOC hopefully, and our Olympic committee. So, we will see ultimately if that can be done.”

WADA did not take part in the Play the Game conference in Tampere. Head of Play the Game, Stanis Elsborg, said that WADA had been invited to participate twice and present its view on the situation, but the agency declined the invitations.