WARSAW, May 31  — World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka vowed on Friday to continue speaking out forcefully about what he sees as serious flaws in the American anti-doping system, following his re-election to a third and final term as head of the global watchdog.

Banka, a former Polish sprinter and Minister of Sport and Tourism, along with China’s former Winter Olympic champion Yang Yang, was re-elected during a virtual Foundation Board meeting on Thursday. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) later, in a social media post, called it the “ultimate ‘bait and switch,’ first promising governance reforms following the Russian anti-doping scandal and then quietly changing the rules the second the world looked away.” On Friday, WADA’s president responded to USADA’s criticism.

“I’m not particularly surprised that such words were said in the USA.” Banka told Polish outlet Sportowe Fakty. “Representatives of this country actually tried to undermine my leadership in WADA and attempted to change the leader.

The American government stopped its contribution to WADA, lost a representative on the board of our institution and ultimately also influence on the elections.” “I’ll continue to speak boldly about the shortcomings of the American anti-doping system,” he added. “Large and highly developed Western countries love to lecture us all.

They love to talk about how the anti-doping system should look, but when we look at their solutions, it turns out that the biggest problem is with them,” he said. “This applies to the US, for example, but also to Germany.

When we had the case of 23 Chinese swimmers, they were the loudest, but they don’t pay attention to how big a problem they have with their own national systems,” Banka explained.

Banka and Yang were originally elected as WADA’s president and vice president at the 2019 World Conference on Doping in Sport. Both will begin their new three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2026, and serve until Dec. 31, 2028. (Xinhua)

WINDHOEK, May 21– Namibia will host the Confederations of Southern Africa Netball Associations Club Championship from May 22 to 26, bringing together top netball clubs from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The tournament will take place in the country’s capital, Windhoek.

This significant event marks another milestone for Namibian netball, following its successful hosting of the Africa Netball Cup in Swakopmund in December 2024. In an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday, Netball Namibia‘s Vice President Connie Samaria said the country’s readiness and ability to host international competitions have been well-proven.

“As a national federation, we have proven to Africa and the world Namibia‘s readiness and ability to host international competitions,” Samaria told Xinhua. “Hence, we have the required systems in place to pull this upcoming championship off,” he added. Samaria said hosting the championship will contribute to growth and development in several ways.

“Exposure to higher levels of competition (will be beneficial), as Namibian clubs will have the rare opportunity to level up to champions of other countries in SADC.

This will sharpen players’ tactical understanding and technical skills and elevate performance standards. Hosting this event further boosts national pride and netball popularity as a sports code in the country,” he said. The championship will feature a strong lineup of clubs from various SADC nations.

Pool A includes Namibia‘s Wanderers Netball Club and Namibia Correctional Services NC, alongside Botswana’s Maun Heroes NC and Jwaneng NC, Zimbabwe’s Makate High Flyers, and Eswatini’s Royal Flames.

Pool B will see Namibia‘s Namibian Navy NC and Mighty Gunners NC, Botswana’s BDF Cats NC, Lesotho’s Lesotho Correctional Services NC, and Zimbabwe’s ZDF Queens NC. (Xinhua)