Krishnamoorthi, Moolenaar, Blackburn, and Van Hollen Grill WADA on Reports of Agency Intimidating and Suppressing Whistleblowers

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and U.S. Representative John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), who chairs the Select Committee, joined U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in sending a letter to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) demanding answers over allegations that its officials launched an internal operation—called “Operation Puncture”—to intimidate and suppress whistleblowers who sounded the alarm about corruption and misconduct within the agency.

Reports Say WADA Is Intimidating and Suppressing Whistleblowers

“We write to express our concern over allegations that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been searching for whistleblowers who helped reveal the swimming doping scandal in 2021 involving People’s Republic of China athletes. According to the reporting, WADA officials have launched an internal operation, ‘Operation Puncture,’ to investigate the leak of the 2021 doping allegations. While WADA claims that their motivations are innocent, it appears this investigation’s intent is to intimidate and suppress whistleblowers. If these allegations are accurate, WADA is not defending clean sport but is continuing to defend a cover-up.”

Lawmakers Have Repeatedly Pressed WADA for Accountability

“The signers of this letter have been leading the effort to demand accountability from WADA for its handling of the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine before the Tokyo Olympics. We have urged full transparency and cooperation with investigators. Instead, WADA has met those calls with defensiveness, denial, and now alleged retaliation. This is unacceptable. Whistleblowers are not the enemy, but instead are the reason doping scandals come to light in the first place. If WADA is spending its time and resources chasing down those who reveal misconduct instead of addressing the misconduct itself, it has lost sight of its mission to ensure doping-free sport and is betraying the athletes it was created to protect. When global institutions like WADA allegedly target those who come forward, they not only silence whistleblowers—they shatter public trust and harm every athlete who competes honestly.”

New Allegations Reaffirm Need to Pass the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act

“Earlier this year, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced our bipartisan Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act, which aims to strengthen oversight and transparency and ensure that athletes are competing in doping-free Olympic and Paralympic Games. The allegations now before us underscore exactly why that oversight and transparency is urgently needed. This episode demonstrates why the United States was right to withhold funding for WADA. United States taxpayer dollars must never fund efforts to intimidate whistleblowers or conceal misconduct. The integrity of international sport depends on one simple principle: the truth. We urge WADA to take immediate steps to reaffirm its commitment to whistleblower protections and to rebuild the trust of athletes and fans worldwide.”

The full letter is available here.

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