The U.S. government did not pay the more than $3.6 million US due to the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2024, making good on a long-running threat anchored in unhappiness with the global watchdog's handling of cases involving Chinese swimmers and others.

In a damaging blow to the agency, the Biden administration said it had lost confidence in WADA’s ability to guard against the use of performance-enhancing drugs by elite athletes.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is facing a crisis after the US government defaulted on a $3.6m (€3.5m) contribution to the global sport watchdog’s annual budget.

The U.S. government did not pay the more than $3.6 million due to WADA in 2024, making good on a long-running threat anchored in unhappiness with the global watchdog's handling of cases involving Chinese swimmers and others.