The U.S. director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Sara Carter, has criticized proposed changes to global anti-doping protocols being considered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In an open letter addressed to WADA and its stakeholders, Carter warned that the suggested amendments risk compromising the credibility of athletes’ performances at future Olympic Games.

The letter was released ahead of an extraordinary meeting of WADA’s executive committee scheduled to discuss recommendations from a working group established following a doping controversy involving Chinese swimmers. Carter’s statement also condemned what she described as the “unjustifiable exclusion” of U.S. authorities from the meeting.

WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald responded by explaining that the United States was not invited due to the U.S. government’s refusal to pay its dues to the organization. He indicated that this issue is part of an ongoing dispute between the U.S. and WADA, which has intensified amid controversies such as the Chinese swimming doping case and a longstanding doping scandal involving Russia.

The debate underscores ongoing tensions between the U.S. and the international anti-doping community, with concerns about governance, transparency, and the efficacy of testing protocols at the forefront. As WADA prepares to consider the working group’s recommendations, the exclusion of the U.S. from the discussions has added a layer of complexity to efforts aimed at strengthening global anti-doping measures.