World Anti-Doping Agency mulls rule change that could ban Trump from Olympics, World Cup over unpaid U.S. dues

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is considering rewriting its rules to try barring all U.S. government officials — including President Donald Trump — from attending the L.A. Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S. this summer.

The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday's meeting of the drug-fighting watchdog's executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.

The refusal is part of the American government's unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency's handling of doping cases, including one involving Chinese swimmers who were allowed to compete in the 2021 Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.

The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency's decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal with The Associated Press; they were not authorized to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.

WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald said "there is nothing new here," noting that discussions related to the issue of what to do about governments withholding funding have been ongoing since 2020 and aren't directly related to the U.S.

The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.

"In spite of WADA's increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport," said Sara