According to draft documents obtained by the New York Times, the Global Bureau of Antibody covers positive tests of Chinese Olympic swimmers who have won medals in the last two summer games and the FBI's investigation into whether China has covered positive tests.
The document, which the World Anti-Doping Agency will provide to the Executive Committee for its meeting this month, said federal officials interviewed an agency employee who is a U.S. citizen on February 12 as part of an ongoing investigation.
After the Times, investigations began under the Biden administration, with German broadcasters revealing that 23 Chinese swimmers were positive about substances banned prior to the 2021 Olympics, but neither Chinese authorities nor Wada had made any clear results or action against swimmers.
On the last day of his first administration, President Trump signed the law to take measures to grant U.S. authorities the power to pursue doping claims across borders. The focus of investigations involving the possibility of corruption in China and misconduct by international organizations is one of the issues that shows Trump and his administration are deeply interested in them.
The latest developments on the investigation will be provided to executive committee members in a 255-page draft report entitled “Status in the United States.” The author was listed as Director Wada Olivier Nigli.
The document said interviews with WADA employees were voluntarily conducted and “in front of US lawyers.”
The document also shows that the United States, the largest funder of WADA, has not yet paid membership fees to the organization. The funding cutoff has been launched under the Biden administration in response to Wada's handling of doping claims and apparently continues under Trump. The documents show that WADA and the US relations remain tense.
The Biden administration refused to pay membership fees after Wada raised questions about how the positive tests were handled by American officials and refused to submit to measures that would include an audit. Trump has yet to appoint a drug staff member for his top White House. He manages decisions on whether to release funds. The handling of doping questions in China's Olympic programs has also attracted intense criticism from Republicans and Congressional Democrats.
“The previous US administration is a US athlete, as well as athletes from around the world, as well as athletes in the US, benefit most from all the efforts and programs deployed outside the US to support a level playing field,” Nigli told members of the document's Occupational Committee.
In response to fund withholding, WADA suspended all American officials from the board and other Supreme Committees.
Federal investigations have struck Wada and the wider world of global sports. Last year, the American head of America's global governing body was suspended to ask questions about positive US tests before boarding a plane back to Europe.
This has posed a threat to the US over hosting future Olympics. In exchange for receiving a bid for the 2032 Winter Olympics, the Olympic movement persuaded head of Utah and the US Olympic Committee, Gene Sykes, to push back the Department of Justice investigation in exchange for the Winter Games.
The fact that the investigation continues suggests that despite changes in Washington's administration, a solution is not imminent.
The document also targeted Wadanemesis, Travis T. Tigert, the head of the US anti-doping agency, a longtime critic of world organizations. The document pointed out that Tygart is attacking WADA for handling international doping issues, but he needs to speak up more about the proposed event close to the home.
The project gained momentum after securing early support for high-profile investors, including Silicon Valley-based billionaire Peter Tiel. And since Donald Trump Jr. announced his investment in the project through a fund he supported last month, it has attracted considerable attention. The group's fundraising announcement features a video of the president on its website. Trump said: “The impossible is what we do.”
“Whatever the recent differences between WADA and USADA, the WADA draft document states:
