In the two years before the World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping allegations, that country’s government contributed nearly $2 million US in additional funding to WADA programs, including one designed to strengthen the agency’s investigations and intelligence unit.
In the two years before the World Anti-Doping Agency signed off on clearing 23 Chinese swimmers of intentionally taking performance enhancers, that country's government contributed nearly $2 million US above its yearly requirements to WADA programs.
"All this was done in total transparency," WADA director general Olivier Niggli said Monday during a news conference to discuss the case. "And frankly, the has absolutely nothing to do with what we are discussing today. So, the optics is a question , but I have absolutely no problem with the relationship we have with China."The main part of WADA's budget each year comes from a 50-50 split between governments of the world and the Olympic movement.
While the U.S. tangled with WADA, China was chipping in on what was essentially a fundraising effort by WADA to ramp up its fledgling intelligence and investigations program, which played a role in the current case. One of the documents obtained by the AP references committee member Ugur Erdener briefing the panel in September 2020 about the program and telling members that "only China, as far as he knew, had made a donation of 500,000 US dollars.
The giving also came in the leadup to the November 2019 election of IOC member Yang Yang of China to WADA vice president. Yang was elected to her second three-year term in 2022.Last year, according to another WADA document seen by the AP, the Chinese sports products company ANTA Sports signed a three-year deal to provide WADA-branded sports apparel. Among the other groups ANTA sponsors are China's national swimming federation and the Chinese Olympic committee.
WADA used its news conference to defend and explain its process, saying in essence there was no effective way to win a case based on countering China's claims that the swimmers had been subject to contamination.
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