"USADA cheating not new", "Goes all the way back to Florence Griffith Joyner": Fans react as WADA claims American agency protected doped athletes

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Aug 08, 2024 16:44 GMT

The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) recently expressed its disapproval of the USADA's (United States Anti-Doping Agency) scheme that allowed numerous doped athletes to participate in competition over the years without any disciplinary action against them.

This comes after REUTERS opened up about the involvement of the United States Anti-Doping Agency in these acts on Wednesday (August 7) and about the way the agency has protected such doped athletes from any sort of sanction or disciplinary measures.

Allegations from the WADA also suggest that the United States Anti-Doping Agency has allowed doped athletes to not only compete in national-level tournaments but also in international and multi-national tournaments and Olympic trials.

WADA has strictly condemned these acts of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and stated in a statement that such schemes and measures are highly against the fairness and integrity of the sport. It has also said that it has no role in these unfair measures carried on by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

In its statement, WADA also remarked that it had already warned the United States Ant-Doping Agency of using such unfair acts back in 2021 when reports of initial findings surfaced.

Following this shocking revelation of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's scheme, fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to lash out against the USA's major anti-doping agency. One of the fans wrote:

"This almost sounds like Hollywood fuction. USADA allowing doped athletes to continue compete on the basis that they expose others. Abuse of power and hypocrisy at it's best."

"Americans just doped themselves to the point that everyone could see it on their faces," wrote another fan.

"Typical US sports. Nothing new here…Goes all the way back to Florence Griffiths et al," another fan posted.

Here are a few other reactions:

"The stuff coming out of this USADA/WADA thing is wild," a fan wrote.

"The fact that WADA let this slide because it was the US shows how much sports can be biased at times, culpability on USADA and also WADA," another netizen wrote.

"USADA cheating is not new. Thy covered for lance Armstrong and Marion Jones for years till they fell out with those two," another fan wrote.

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Chinese Anti-Doping Agency slams USADA over Erriyon Knighton doping case

Knighton (left) along with Noah Lyles (Image via Getty)

The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) recently slammed the United States Anti-Doping Agency for clearing Erriyon Knighton of participating at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials even after sanctions were against him for using trenbelone.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency cleared Knighton after the findings showed that Knighton's positive doping results were caused due to the consumption of tainted meat.

Stating in a statement, CHINADA said:

"Shows that USADA's rhetoric about fairness and clean sport runs counter to its actual practices."

CHINADA also accused the World Anti-Doping Agency of covering up the facts and criticized it for not taking action against the United States Anti-Doping Agency.