The World Anti -Doping Agency has abandoned a defamation trial against its American counterpart, a major retirement for the agency after almost a year of conflict on its management of positive tests for a drug prohibited by 23 Chinese elite swimmers.
The agency’s decision – known by its acronym, Wada – to drop the prosecution she had tabled in a Swiss court came months after reacting angry to the comments of Travis T. Tygart, the chief of the American anti -doping agency. Mr. Tygart accused Wada of covering the tests after the New York Times revealed Details on how swimmers in China have had a cardiac medication prohibited in their systems during a competition a few months before the Tokyo Olympic Games.
This revelation has led to the anger and the recrimination of athletes and antidops from around the world, including a deep break in an already tense relationship between the AMA and the United States. The United States had contributed more than any other country to the AMA budget, but withdrawn its funding on doubts that the AMA leadership was up to keeping sports clean.
In addition to moving away from the defamation costume, Wada also withdrew to another question: he abandoned an ethical case against Dr. Rahul Gupta, who represented the United States on the board of directors of the ‘Ama during the Biden administration.
An AMA official said that Dr. Gupta, who had been the drug tsar at the Blanche house of Biden, had not disclosed to the agency what he knew about an investigation by the ministry of the Justice on how Chinese swimmers’ tests were treated. Dr. Gupta said he knew nothing about the investigation, which is led by the American prosecutor’s office in Boston.
“The dismissal of the unauthorized and baseless trial against the Usada and the complaint of ethics against the White House is a complete justification for the two of us,” the American anti -doping agency said in a press release.
“The AMA actions were nothing more than attempts at reprisals, waste and violence to remove the truth and the voice of those who seek answers to the reason why Wada allowed China to ignore Flagrating the rules of 23 elite swimmers who have been positively tested, “said the press release.
In a press release, Wada attacked Mr. Tygart, insisted that he had done nothing wrong in the way he managed the positive tests and did not provide details on the reasons for which he was moving away from the costume.
“In the interest of moving on and concentrating our efforts on strengthening the global anti -doping system that the community worked hard to build together over 25 years, the AMA has made the decision to withdraw the trial against Mr. Tygart and USAD -Agency’s doping. “The trial only concerned the protection of the AMA reputation (indeed, no financial compensation has been requested).”
The AMA had opened its ethical investigation into Dr. Gupta in July after receiving an anonymous complaint against him, which, according to US officials, was filed by a senior AMA official. Put Hartlev, president of the agency’s independent ethics council, wrote Dr. Gupta on January 30 to tell him that the question had been closed, according to a document examined by the Times.
Swiss lawyers from the World Anti -Doping Agency wrote to lawyers representing Mr. Tygart and the American anti -doping agency a week later to say that the defamation case had been abandoned. AMA lawyers wrote that the turnaround was that the “only objective” of protecting the Wada to protect its reputation had “been reached by non -procedural means” without providing details.
The AMA secretary general, Olivier Niggli, confirmed that the agency had abandoned the trial in a letter to the members of its board of directors. The letter was reported for the first time by Honest Sport, an online publication focused on sports integrity.
“While we remain convinced that the trial would succeed in its merits, we have determined that it is futile to challenge with someone who is not willing to accept clear evidence, the only objective of which is to damage the AMA and the global anti -doping system “, the letter says.
Dr. Gupta had a different interpretation.
The AMA decision to delete its assertions, he declared in comments sent by email to Times, “clearly demonstrate the claims without merit and with political motivation that the managers of the AMA tried to continue against the United States. “
Some of the Chinese swimmers who had been tested positive have won medals, including gold medals, at the Tokyo Olympic Games. After the revelation on previous positive tests and the AMA decision not to impose sanctions on swimmers, the Congress asked for testimonies from the antidopsy authorities. An investigation by the Ministry of Justice is for months for months and antidops from around the world.
The United States, through Dr. Gupta, had asked Wada to undertake an independent audit of its operations in the light of Chinese cases. The AMA has resisted and, according to Dr. Gupta, retaliated against the United States.
“These actions are not only prejudicial to the integrity of world anti-doping efforts, but demonstrate a clear example of the reason why the AMA reform is urgently necessary,” he said.
The tension met before a meeting of the AMA board of directors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December. Dr. Gupta had demanded before the meeting that the agency submitted to the audit and also abandoned the defamation trial against the American anti -doping authorities, who have repeatedly accused the Wada of covering the failed Chinese tests, if he wanted Continue to receive American funding.
Wada a counters say that there would be consequences – including the efforts of the United States to organize international sporting events – if that did not make payments. The Americans continued to remember the funds. The following summer Olympic Games are expected to take place in Los Angeles in 2028, two years after the United States welcomed the majority of the 2026 Football World Cup.
