February 6, 2026; Milan, Italy; U.S. Vice President JD Vance and First Lady Usha Vance wave the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics held at the San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Alban/Pool via Imagn Images The World Anti-Doping Agency strongly denied a report released Friday that it was considering action to block President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. government officials from attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The Associated Press reported Friday that WADA is seeking to take action against governments that do not keep dues payments up to date, specifically seeking to ban officials from those countries from sporting events. The United States will not pay annual dues until at least 2024 due to a dispute over the organization’s effectiveness in maintaining drug-free athletics.
According to initial reports, WADA was scheduled to discuss the topic at its meeting on Tuesday.
WADA issued a rebuttal on its website later Friday and did not deny that such a rule could be implemented at some point. However, the agency said, “The FIFA World Cup, LA, and Salt Lake City Games (2034) are excluded from application as the regulations do not apply retroactively.”
Those decisions will be made by the WADA Foundation Board of Directors, he added, but the group will not meet until November.
This problem first arose during the administration of then-U.S. President Joe Biden and continues under the Trump administration, with Democratic and Republican government officials taking a stance against WADA.
The United States withheld the dues in part in protest of WADA’s handling of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned substances in 2021 but were allowed to compete at the same year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“Discussions regarding the government unilaterally withholding funding to WADA have been ongoing since early 2020 and do not specifically concern the United States,” WADA said in a statement. “The working group, which includes government representatives, sports movements and WADA, was established in 2022 at a time when the United States was still paying its annual contributions.”
According to the Associated Press, the United States has owed more than $7 million in the past two years alone.
Vance and his wife, Usha, led the U.S. delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina and attended the opening ceremony and various competitions to support U.S. athletes.
–Field level media
