Exclusive: U.S. threat to pull WADA funding could leave Americans out of Olympics

FILE PHOTO: WADA President-Elect, Witold Banka attends a news conference after the World Anti-Doping Agency's extraordinary Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) - America's top athletes could be banned from the Olympics and other major international sporting events if the United States follows through on its threat to withdraw funding from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), anti-doping leaders told Reuters.

The U.S. threat has sent shockwaves through the anti-doping community and prompted several governments to urge WADA to introduce legislation that would find the U.S. non-compliant with the WADA Code, effectively barring American athletes from international competition.