The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has threatened to pull its funding of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) unless the international body undergoes serious reform.
The ONDCP issued a series of recommendations in a report to the United States Congress earlier this month, criticizing the structure of WADA and questioning whether the country's investment into the organization was value for money, as reported by The Washington Post.
The US contributes $2.7 million to WADA, more than any other nation, and with the International Olympic Committee matching Government funding, this amounts to $5.4 million.
"American taxpayers should receive a tangible return on their investment in WADA in the form of clean sport, fair play, effective administration of the world anti-doping system, and a proportionate voice in WADA decision-making," said the report.
"For years the United States has provided the World Anti-Doping Agency with millions of taxpayers’ dollars in annual dues — far more than any other nation in the world.
"We do so with an expectation that WADA will operate in a transparent, accountable, and independent manner that is above all else fair to athletes - America’s athletes devote years of effort and passion preparing to represent the United States in international competition.
"They deserve a fair shake and a WADA committed to guaranteeing competition on a level playing field."
A particular area of concern highlighted in the report is WADA’s handling of the Russian doping scandal.
The report says the case, due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport from November 2nd to 5th, "continues to demonstrate inadequacies in WADA’s independence and capacity to firmly, effectively, and in a timely manner enforce compliance with the code, hold major countries accountable under the rules and uphold the expectations of clean athletes."
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