MONTREAL: Newly re-elected World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka on Thursday pushed back against what he called the growing politicisation of efforts to stem the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.

“The politicisation of anti-doping is something which is very concerning,” he told a press conference in Montreal where the agency is based. “We see more and more attempts to politicize the anti-doping environment.

“There is no place for politics or turf wars in the fight for clean sport,” he added.

Banka and vice-president Yang Yang were re-elected on Thursday by WADA’s board for a third and final three-year term ending in 2028.

Following the vote, Banka at a press conference singled out for criticisms the USADA and its leader Travis Tygart, with whom relations have been strained over accusations WADA mishandled positive tests for a banned drug by 23 Chinese swimmers — which WADA has rejected.

He said it continues to be “very difficult to work with Mr. Tygart,” who has accused WADA of a cover up.

“It’s hard to deal with someone who believes in conspiracy theories... [and] who believes that, you know, joking, that moon landings were fake,” he said.

Banka also renewed his condemnation of plans for the first edition of the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas, an Olympics-style event where athletes will be free to use performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids and human growth hormones, which are banned across international sport.

He urged US authorities to try to prevent the event from being staged in May 2026, with athletes participating in three sports — athletics, swimming and weightlifting.

“It threatens to erode decades of progress in athlete protection, public health and the very ethos of sport,” said Banka, concerned it could lead athletes around the world to dabble in illicit substances with potentially deadly consequences.

“It is not just merely controversial, it is irresponsible and shameful,” he said.

The coming years, Banka and Yang also said, could see more doping disputes and cases heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

They said WADA would increase compliance monitoring and audits of national anti-doping organizations, while expanding its intelligence network to root out cheaters.

The agency would also embrace artificial intelligence, which Banka said would “be a game changer” and help “identify suspicious patterns early and without having to implement laborious, manual assessments.”

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2025