Usada blasts Wada’s Witold Banka over ‘hit job’ on US athletes
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The US agency said Witold Banka had distorted facts “to deflect from the real concerns the world has about how Wada allowed China to sweep 23 positive tests under the carpet”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – The US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) on May 20 accused World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) president Witold Banka of smearing US athletes, in a bid to divert attention from Wada’s handling of the case of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive before the Tokyo Olympics.
In a statement, Usada responded to comments made by Banka during an extraordinary virtual meeting of Wada’s Foundation Board on May 17. The US agency said Banka had distorted facts “to deflect from the real concerns the world has about how Wada allowed China to sweep 23 positive tests under the carpet”.
Wada came under fire in April after it was revealed that the Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine
The swimmers were not suspended or sanctioned after Wada accepted the explanation of Chinese authorities that the positive tests for the drug were caused by food contamination at a hotel where they had stayed.
Usada chief Travis Tygart has called the situation a “potential cover-up”.
On May 17, Banka cited three US doping cases that resulted from environmental contamination, as the Chinese swimmers’ cases have also been ruled.
But Usada noted on May 20 that the three US contamination cases were made public and resulted in violations and disqualifications for the named athletes, unlike in the case of China.
Banka also pointed to “inconsistent rule implementation in the US” and claimed that 90 per cent of American athletes – in professional leagues and college sport – do not compete under the world anti-doping code.
Usada said that remark was a “particularly manipulative comment in an effort to indicate that 90 per cent of US athletes are dirty and only 10 per cent are clean”.
It noted that leagues such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have their own anti-doping systems, and that it was “incredibly reckless for the president of Wada to suggest these sports do not have robust and effective programmes and that their athletes are not clean”.
“Simply put, these comments are harmful and an insult to all athletes in these leagues and to the leagues themselves,” Usada said. “There is nothing more classic in a cover-up than diversion and smoke and mirrors.
“The second most classic response to a cover-up is to attack the messenger, which is the current situation as Banka and surrogates plumb the depths of misinformation and half-truths to make personal attacks, even stooping so low as to attempt a hit job on all US athletes.” AFP
