Los Angeles (AFP)

The Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the American Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) called on Monday in a joint open letter, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to initiate significant reforms, to become a "more independent" policeman, by giving "a greater voice to the athletes".

For several years, the American Anti-Doping Agency has vigorously challenged the functioning of the World Agency based in Montreal, criticizing it for its lack of independence.

"WADA must change and become a strong and independent anti-doping regulator and a protector of the rights of clean athletes", explain the two American bodies.

"All athletes have been promised the opportunity to have a fair, safe and equitable playing field and WADA must transform immediately to live up to this agreement."

WADA said it was consulting the various stakeholders for possible changes to be made as part of a reform, but the two American bodies insist on the involvement and the weight that the athletes must have in this process.

"The only way for WADA to achieve these goals is to eliminate conflicts of interest and take into account the contribution of athletes," said USADA and USOPC, adding that many of them, "individually or in groups have also submitted reform proposals".

"Without the athletes, WADA would not exist. The consideration of the comments of the athletes is long overdue, but it is not too late. WADA must act now", they support.

As such, the American authorities are asking that an independent governance structure be created at WADA, no representative of the athletes concerned being currently authorized to sit on its executive committee.

"Independent athletes should be empowered to discuss changes impacting them and their colleagues," they argued, adding that they should also sit on WADA's board of directors, alongside representatives of governments, sports bodies, national anti-doping organizations and independent experts.

And to add that "all the decisions of the executive committee and the board of directors should be made public".

"Athletes must benefit from an equitable presence around all key decision-making tables of WADA", they insist, thus advocating a separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial functions of the body. , in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

"The time has come for WADA to answer for its failures, by committing to become stronger and more independent, which will strengthen its credibility with athletes around the world," concluded the Usada and the USOPC.

In July 2020, the United States threatened to stop paying its annual contribution of $ 2.7 million to WADA, after the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), depending on the House -Blanche, in a report recommended suspending US funding if the anti-global agency does not implement governance reforms.

© 2021 AFP