WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Senate Commerce Committee advanced her bipartisan Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act, which would permanently provide the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to withhold membership dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if the organization fails to ensure athletes are competing in drug-free Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Last week, Senator Blackburn led a hearing to hold WADA accountable for its refusal to investigate 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,” said 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. We won’t be silenced by WADA or any international organization that tries to strong arm the United States in our mission to promote fair play in sports.”

RESTORING CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY ACT

• Last year, reporting revealed that more than two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance enhancing drugs one month before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly cleared the swimmers of the doping.

• When WADA learned of these positive tests, the agency chose not to intervene or require China to follow WADA rules. Over a dozen of these swimmers competed in the 2021 Olympic Games, winning several medals, including gold.

• Last summer, new reporting revealed two additional Chinese swimmers – including one who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics – tested positive in 2022 for a banned drug but were secretly cleared of doping by Chinese authorities.

• The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act would: 

• Allow the ONDCP to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to WADA. The U.S. is the WADA’s greatest contributor, which makes this a powerful tool.

• Authorize ONDCP to use all available tools to ensure that WADA fully implements all governance reforms, including a proper conflict-of-interest policy, and that independent athletes from the United States and other democratic countries, or representatives of such athletes, have a decision-making role on WADA’s Executive Committee and governing bodies.

• The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). It was introduced in the House by Representatives John Moolenar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).

Click here for bill text.

RELATED

• VIDEO: Blackburn Scorches World Anti-Doping Agency for Refusing to Investigate Chinese Swimmers for Doping

• Blackburn, Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act as U.S. Withholds Funding to WADA