US anti-doping accuses Wada of trying to ‘smear America’ amid Enhanced Games row
US Anti-Doping Agency president Travis Tygart said Wada's suggestion that Usada should do more to stop the Enhanced Games taking place was a “desperate attempt to divert attention” from its role in the Chinese swimming scandal of 2021. Pic: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
The war of words between anti‑doping bodies over the Enhanced Games has intensified after Usada accused Wada of attempting “to smear America”.
Travis Tygart, president of the US Anti-Doping Agency, made the claim as he hit back at the World Anti-Doping Agency suggestion that it should do more to stop the pro‑doping event scheduled to take place in Las Vegas next year. Tygart said that Wada’s intervention was a “desperate attempt to divert attention” from its role in the Chinese swimming scandal of 2021.
“For an organisation reportedly part of a criminal investigation by US law enforcement, the continued and blatantly false attacks from Wada president [Witold] Banka are a telling smokescreen,” Tygart said.
“His attempts to smear America and our US Olympic and professional athletes is a desperate attempt to divert attention away from his failure in allowing China to sweep 23 positive tests under the carpet. Those who value clean and fair sport should stand up and demand that Wada be fixed.”
Tygart said a failure to stop the Chinese swimmers who failed drug tests from competing in the Tokyo Games, had allowed “certain athletes to … have their own Enhanced Games”.
Wada and Usada have been at odds over the Chinese swimming scandal since details were revealed by reporting last year. An independent review into the affair later criticised Wada’s “disorganisation” but cleared it of bias. In January, however, it emerged that the US government had defaulted on $3.6m of funding for the global body, with Tygart commenting at the time that “Usada fully supports this decision by the United States [government] as the only right choice to protect athletes’ rights and fair competition”.
Tygart said the Enhanced Games had “nothing” to do with US enforcement. “We are working closely with our partners Fifa and the ITA to ensure this summer’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games are the cleanest on record, and not a repeat of the 2021 and 2024 Games where certain athletes with positive tests were allowed to compete, win, and in a way have their own Enhanced Games,” he said. “The Enhanced Games have nothing to do with our athletes, the World Cup, or the Olympics, and President Banka knows this.”
A Wada spokesperson said the staging of the Enhanced Games on US soil was “an embarrassment” for Tygart, adding: “It should surprise no one that Wada – with the support of clean athletes all over the world – has taken a strong and vocal position against the Enhanced Games. It seems incongruous, therefore, that Usada refuses to work with the global anti‑doping community to unite against it.”
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