The World Anti-Doping Agency is weighing a rule change because the U.S. has refused to pay its dues to the agency since 2023, the Associated Press reported.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering proposing a new rule that would bar U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. government officials from attending the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
The proposal, which the agency is set to discuss on Tuesday, would introduce a set of sanctions for countries that don’t pay their contributions by Jan. 31, including “government representatives being excluded from participation in major events such as World Championships and Olympic & Paralympic Games,” according to the AP report.
The development comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and WADA, with Washington refusing to pay its annual dues to the anti-doping agency. The U.S. reportedly owes around $3.7 million for 2025 and $3.6 million for 2024.
The U.S. has been withholding its contribution to WADA since 2023, due to tensions over the scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for prohibited drugs before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still permitted to take part in the Games.
WADA called the AP article “misleading” for suggesting this could impact the upcoming World Cup, as “given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games would not be covered.”
Discussions related to the issue of governments unilaterally withholding funding from WADA have been ongoing since early 2020 and have nothing specifically to do with the U.S., the AP said, citing WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald.
The aim of the proposal is to “better protecting WADA’s funding so that it can deliver on its global collaborative movement for doping-free sport,” according to the AP report.