WADA has filed a defamation lawsuit against the U.S. anti-doping agency.

The legal proceedings with potentially serious implications, along with renewed attacks on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the debate over how to handle the case of 23 Chinese swimmers, are increasingly dividing the global anti-doping community into supporters and opponents. As external pressure mounts, WADA has decided to take a bold step: to file a defamation lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

However, it is not only this unprecedented move by WADA that is escalating tensions. Eighteen leading national anti-doping agencies, including those from France, Germany, the U.S., and Japan, have sent a joint letter to the international oversight organization raising questions and demands. After an independent investigator appointed by WADA officially determined that the Chinese anti-doping agency CHINADA had failed to comply with the globally applicable code without holding WADA accountable, national "anti-doping hunters" are now concerned about learning lessons for the future from the Chinese scandal.

The lessons from this episode involving the swimmers from China must be taken into account as much as possible during the upcoming revisions to the global anti-doping code next year. "We see that the Chinese anti-doping agency did not adhere to the rules set by WADA. In this context, it was a gross violation. It is crucial that independent investigations are conducted now to determine what consequences may arise from this," said Lars Mørchiefer, head of the German anti-doping agency, as reported by Sportchau.

It is worth recalling that the loud doping scandal erupted just before the summer Olympics in Paris when the editorial team of the German channel ARD reported that in 2021, shortly before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 23 top Chinese swimmers tested positive for doping without facing any sanctions from WADA. They accepted CHINADA's claim that the banned substance "trimetazidine" allegedly entered the athletes' bodies through soup pots and other kitchenware at the hotel, not due to their fault.

WADA still accepts this explanation from the Chinese side and has not conducted any further on-site investigations, seemingly never having questioned the athletes from China in detail. Credible evidence from CHINADA has yet to be presented. Athletes worldwide and the global anti-doping community reacted with horror to this scandal, especially after WADA remained silent for years about these events until they became public knowledge.

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Currently, distrust in WADA is growing on an international level. Instead of constructively responding to criticism, the organization is tracking down its critics. WADA confirmed to German media that it has filed a lawsuit in Switzerland against USADA for defamation. The global anti-doping community is shocked by WADA's blatant attempts to divide the anti-doping community instead of uniting it.

Eighteen national anti-doping agencies received a clear response from WADA to their joint letter proposing to discuss the situation. "They said, 'Yes, we want to talk to you, but USADA is not allowed at the negotiating table,'" said Khalid Holland, head of the South African anti-doping agency.

Currently, WADA's leadership even prohibits representatives of USADA, who are part of its commissions or boards, from attending its meetings. They are only provided online. This occurred because USADA organized a "campaign to discredit and vilify WADA." The consequences of the prolonged legal dispute between the governing body and arguably the most influential national anti-doping agency are unpredictable.

This aggressive stance from WADA's leadership threatens to bring even more problems in the medium term. As the largest national contributor, Americans have already withheld their $3.6 million contribution to WADA's budget due this year.

The conflict may escalate further under the new Trump administration, says American attorney Bill Bock, who has worked for both USADA and Trump: "The new-old president of the United States has a very clear opinion that international organizations funded and managed by the United States should not be funded by the U.S. WADA has essentially put itself on Trump's 'list' by suing the government-funded U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. I am certain this is related to WADA's budget and U.S. grants, which will now be scrutinized even more closely."

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Cornered, WADA's leadership is seemingly trying to catch its breath before the upcoming meeting of the board of directors, scheduled for the first week of December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. President Witold Banka and his CEO Olivier Niggli are facing very uncomfortable questions from global observers.

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