Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/sports/wada-extends-intelligence-investigations-offensive-oceania-2025-03-02/
The World Anti-Doping Agency is planning to extend its efforts to Asia and Oceania after years of success in Europe, seizing more than 25 tons of PEDs. This weekend, staff is meeting with law enforcement officials in Australia’s Gold Coast to share intelligence and build crime-fighting capacity. This will be the first of 6 workshops in the region. They especially look forward to working with China, who had a recent run-in with PEDs at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which nearly disqualified 23 Chinese swimmers from competing. WADA also reported that most PEDs they seized in Europe were produced in China. They are hopeful for a partnership with the U.S. soon, but relations are tense between the two parties at the moment due to a criminal investigation into their handling of the Chinese case last year.
Seems like a good region to focus on, especially with the Chinese scandal last year. I didn’t know there was an organization that fought the PED smuggling issue. I didn’t know there even was a PED smuggling issue to begin with. Asia seems to produce a lot of drugs, the continent produces a majority of ATS in circulation, as we saw from the map in class. They also consume a lot. My question is: If there was a criminal investigation of their handling of China’s case last year, why are we expecting anything different this time? Doesn’t that make them extremely untrustworthy?
This relates to class because WADA is an NGO, or non-governmental organization, which seeks to work with state and other non-state actors to increase human rights or development in the world. They are trying to crack down on organized crime, which is a major security issue in some countries. Although they aren’t exactly cartels, which is the most popular form of organized crime, they pose the same threats to national security. Drug trafficking organizations typically have many employees who pay off cops due to the insane wealth they can earn, which can destroy law enforcement from the inside out. They also resort to violence often. Drug trafficking can also lead to money laundering, fraud, extortion, and counterfeiting if not handled in a timely manner.