On Tuesday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) postponed its decision regarding a potential ban on government officials from attending major sporting events in cases where their countries choose to withhold dues. This delay extends the conflict involving President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials at least until after the World Cup this summer.
The WADA executive committee convened and decided to revisit the proposed rule in September, two months following the completion of the World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
If approved later this year, the measure could take effect before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The U.S. has not made its dues payments since 2023. Should this trend continue, the new rule could potentially lead to Trump and U.S. lawmakers being included on a banned list for the Olympic Games hosted in their own country; however, there are questions about whether an anti-doping body could effectively bar them from attending the Olympics.
The issue of conflict with WADA has not been strictly partisan within the U.S., as payments were withheld in 2024 and 2025 under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
In total, the U.S. has withheld $7.3 million over these two years, protesting WADA’s management of a case involving Chinese swimmers among other concerns.
WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald previously stated to The Associated Press that the proposed rule would “not be applied retroactively,” meaning it wouldn’t affect the World Cup, LA, and SLC Games.
However, the proposal shared with the AP lacked such clarifying language, and Fitzgerald did not respond to multiple inquiries about his choice of the term “retroactively.”
After Tuesday’s meeting, WADA’s director general, Olivier Niggli, remarked that the decision by governments to withhold contributions for political or voluntary reasons remains a significant concern for all stakeholders involved in WADA.
“Funding instability directly impacts the operation and development of the World Anti-Doping Program,” Niggli noted. “Ultimately, it is the athletes worldwide who bear the brunt of these consequences.”
WADA’s examination of the issue began in 2020, coinciding with the U.S.’s threats to cut funding. However, they emphasize that imposing penalties on governments for non-payment is not a matter solely related to the United States.
A U.S. representative on the executive committee during the Biden administration—drug czar Rahul Gupta—was instrumental in opposing the proposal in 2024.
Since then, the U.S. has lost its position on the committee. The proposal resurfaced earlier this year, and in communications with European leaders, WADA indicated that the measure could be adopted “without undue delay.”
The Europeans questioned WADA about why the executive committee was revisiting the topic before a working group had completed its analysis.
Any decision made by the executive committee must be ratified by the WADA foundation board, which is set to meet in November, although WADA has indicated in a February letter to European officials that the board could convene sooner.