The US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) has accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) of attempting to 'smear America' amid a dispute over the Enhanced Games, a pro-doping event planned for Las Vegas next year.
Travis Tygart, Usada president, hit back at Wada's suggestion that the US body should do more to stop the event. He claimed Wada's intervention was a 'desperate attempt to divert attention' from its role in the 2021 Chinese swimming scandal, where 23 positive tests were allegedly covered up.
Tygart said: '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. 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.'
Wada and Usada have been at odds since details of the Chinese swimming scandal emerged last year. An independent review criticised Wada's 'disorganisation' but cleared it of bias. In January, the US government defaulted on $3.6m of funding for Wada, a move Tygart supported.
Tygart dismissed the Enhanced Games as unrelated to US enforcement, stating: '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.' A Wada spokesperson countered that the event on US soil was 'an embarrassment' for Tygart, adding that Usada should unite with the global anti-doping community against it.
