American athletes could be banned from the Olympics if the Trump administration follows through on its threats to pull U.S. funding from the World Anti-Doping Agency, the group’s leader has warned. Earlier this year, a report by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy suggested that the U.S. withhold its WADA funding to strong-arm the agency into giving the U.S. more representation on its boards and committees. WADA President Witold Banka told Reuters that the consequences of such a funding withdrawal could be “severe and far reaching for American athletes,” adding that he’s considering making non-payment of a contribution a contravention of the World Anti-Doping Code. International Olympic Committee rules state that countries must be compliant with that code or risk being frozen out of the Games. “Inevitably this could have serious repercussions for athletes from that country including their participation in major international sporting events,” Banka said.
