A group of bipartisan House lawmakers are concerned about doping at the upcoming Summer Olympics, calling on international bodies to boost their efforts to weed out dopers at the games that start next month in Rio.
Both Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter on Tuesday to the head of the International Olympic Committee. The letter is the latest foray of the committee into sports, which also has recently investigated concussions in sports.
The letter comes amid a swath of allegations that the World Anti-Doping Agency lacks independence to effectively regulate anti-doping at the Olympics.
Recent reports and whistleblowers say the WADA and the IOC dragged their feet in investigating state-sponsored doping programs in Russia.
“Experts point out that conflicts of interest stemming from the composition of their senior leadership currently exist at both IOC and WADA,” the letter said. “Such conflicts can have both real and perceived effects on rigorous investigations and enforcement of anti-doping measures.”
The lawmakers say the committee plans to work with the two bodies to address the concerns.
“To ensure the integrity of the Olympic Games, we need assurances from sports’ international governing bodies in the form of decisive actions, not just words,” the letter said.
