ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta Statement on World Anti-Doping Agency Interim Report
On July 9, 2024, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta participated in a meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee to discuss an interim report prepared by Eric Cottier on WADA’s handling of the allegations of doping among Chinese swimmers ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
During the meeting, Dr. Gupta expressed his deep concerns with the limited scope of the report, and pressed for additional questions to be addressed in the final report forthcoming in August. Dr. Gupta reiterated that the Executive Committee must continue to demand a more comprehensive scope of investigation with finer details in order to restore the trust of our athletes and the public in ensuring a level playing field on the global stage.
“Since we first learned of these doping allegations, I have made clear: every athlete deserves a level playing field free from doping, and full confidence in the system that oversees it. Critical to ensuring confidence in that system are rigorous, thorough, and transparent investigations into any allegations of potential wrongdoing when they arise. I am disappointed to see that the interim report released by WADA today is far too limited in scope and leaves too many essential questions unanswered,” said Dr. Gupta. “As the world prepares for the Paris Olympics, it is more important than ever that we ensure nothing like this ever happens again. I am calling for a much more robust report in August to include concrete actions to reform and improve WADA and better support national anti-doping organizations. The outcome of this investigation must lead to a better system, and providing athletes what they deserve: confidence in clean sport.”
In the coming days, Dr. Gupta will be meeting with United States athletes and their representatives, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and government representatives to the WADA Executive Committee to discuss next steps.
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