Olympic organisers warn US anti-doping to back Wada or risk losing LA Games

A feud between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the US Anti-Doping Agency is set to come to a head at an independent review next month

USADA chief Travis Tygart disagrees with WADA (REUTERS)

Testing agencies must settle their bitter and intense dispute ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, says Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have been at loggerheads since it was revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance before competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

USADA chief Travis Tygart suggested that Wada’s decision to allow the athletes to compete, after being presented with evidence of contamination by the Chinese anti-doping agency, was a cover-up.

In response, Wada have confirmed that they will take USADA to the Independent Compliance Review Committee next month.

This has, in turn, led to uncertainty around whether the 2028 Summer Games and 2034 Winter Games will be hosted by the US.

"At the heart of this dispute lies a sense that USADA has – that the World Anti-Doping Agency hasn’t followed the procedures that they should follow," said US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board chair Gene Sykes on Thursday.

"That has led to a very intense argument. They’ve been playing a game of ping pong with media bullets, if you will, and it’s obviously been distressing.

"It’s been especially distressing to the international sports movement, because they see this as something that undermines the United States’ acceptance of the world anti-doping code.

"We at the USOPC believe there will be a solution to this dispute."

Amid the back-and-fourth between both testing agencies, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has warned US sports officials that, if they choose not to recognise Wada as the global leader in the fight against doping, they risk losing the Games.

"I’ll say this as clearly as I can - we accept, we support, we subscribe to the world anti-doping code," Sykes added, "What we want to do is to cool the tempers and find a way for these organisations to constructively work better together, and that’s our responsibility.