Background Information

At the 2nd International Intergovernmental Consultative Group on Anti-Doping in Sport (IICGADS) forum held in Oslo, Norway in November 2000, governments agreed that they would fund 50 percent of WADA's budget. 

Subsequently at the 3rd IICGADS forum held in Cape Town, South Africa in May 2001, the governments reconfirmed this decision. This was a governmental decision and WADA was not part of the decision making process.

The regional share percentages were subsequently reconfirmed in the text of the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sport which was developed and agreed by governments at the World Conference on Doping in Sport held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 2003. The Copenhagen Declaration was signed by 193 governments.

For more in-depth information on how the above formula and decisions were made through the five IICGAD's meetings.

Following the IICGADS decisions, the respective government representatives from each region on WADA’s Foundation Board have been responsible for facilitating agreement within each region to determine the apportionment of WADA's funding by individual countries. The WADA Executive Committee Member of the region usually leads this process. This information is then provided each year to WADA by the Board Members so that each country can be individually invoiced.

Africa (0.5%)

The Supreme Council of Sport for Africa (SCSA) was the body through which the funding formula and allocation was made and agreed to. Countries were divided into three categories (A, B, C), whereby the categorizations were based on geographical size, population size, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The formula for the African countries' contribution towards WADA was based on the same formula used to determine the annual contribution per country to the SCSA. This decision was made at the Cape Town IICGADS meeting in 2001. This decision has applied for contributions from 2002 to 2018.

In 2018, at the third session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee Meeting on Youth, Culture and Sport (STC/YCS-3) it was agreed that a new formula be introduced from 2019. The new formula agreed is the same as the one  used by the Supreme Council for Sport in African (SCSA) and the AU Sports Council for registration to participate at the African Games. The new 2019 formula divided the African governments into 4 groups, based on factors such as GDP and population size amongst others, with each group paying a given percentage. This revised formula has been applied for contributions for 2019 and 2021. 

During the third edition of the African Union Anti-Doping Think Tank Forum, (the Forum)  held in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 15th and 16th of July 2019, a resolution was made directing the African Union Commission to establish a small working group whose mandate is to consider ways to improve the formula for the African share-split and to submit their recommendations to the 2020 African Union STC meeting, to take place in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the Ministers responsible for Sport to consider. The WADA African Regional Office will be represented in this group in an advisory capacity as recommended by the Forum.

In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the working group was unable to meet however the planned African Union STC was held virtually but could only consider one key topic:  the impact of the pandemic on African sport.  In 2021, the AUC has again engaged the working group to consider a revised African share-split formula which the AU STC will consider at their 2021 meeting. 

Americas (29%)

For 2002, there was an agreement in principle between Canada and the United States. This agreement was based on the Americas' contribution being paid one third by the United States, one third Canada, with the remaining third to be apportioned across the rest of the countries in the Americas.

Subsequently, in 2002-2003, following the meetings of Sports Ministers of the Americas, the Organization of American States (OAS) formula was agreed to by most countries. In 2004, the United States and Canada agreed to pay 75 percent (US 50 percent and Canada 25 percent), with the rest apportioned according to the OAS formula. The same principle applied for 2005 - 2008.

For 2009 and beyond, a new formula was agreed upon at the American Council for Sport (CADE) meeting held in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 14 - 15 February 2008, and subsequently confirmed at the CADE meeting held in Puerto Rico on 11 June 2008. The US and Canada will continue to pay 75 percent (US 50 percent and Canada 25 percent) with the rest apportioned according to the OAS formula (issued in November 2007), with a minimum percentage being 0.08%. This formula entered into force on 1 January 2009 for a period of four years, following which the countries may review the indicators of the OAS formula. This formula continues to be in place.

Asia (20.46%)

For 2002, the original IICGADS funding formula was applied across seven countries in the Asian Region. The IICGADS formula is calculated on 15 percent of the competitors who had attended Olympic Games and 85 percent ratio of a country’s economic indicator as set forth by the World Bank.

In 2003, the Asian Governments agreed upon a new funding formula, using 15 percent assessed on the number of competitors who had attended Olympic Games/Asian Games and 85 percent based on a country’s GDP. The Government of Japan agreed to pay US$1,502,800, with the remaining shares apportioned among nine countries: China, India, Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, and Thailand.

In 2004, it was agreed that the same funding principle would apply as for 2003, with 10 countries paying on behalf of other countries and that any new countries would be invited to make a minimum payment of US$5000.

For 2005, it was agreed at the First Asian Region Intergovernmental Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan, in April 2004, that Japan, China, India, Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, and Thailand would pay the same as for 2004 and all other countries would be invoiced for US$5000.

For 2006, it was agreed at the Second Asian Region Intergovernmental Meeting, held in Beijing, China, in May 2005 that Japan, China, India, Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore and Thailand would pay the same as for 2004 and that any increase in the WADA Foundation Board approved budget would be shared equally and additionally to US$5000 across all other countries who were invoiced for US$5000 in 2005.

For 2007, it was agreed through the Third Asian Region Intergovernmental meeting held in Bangkok Thailand in May 2006 and finally at the Asian Region WADA Foundation Board member meeting held in Montreal, Canada in November 2006, that the same formula used for 2006, would apply for 2007.

For 2008 and beyond, a new funding formula was agreed at the Fourth Asian Region Intergovernmental meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in May 2007. The formula is based upon the GNI per capita (85 percent) and a Sports Indicator (15 percent) of attendance by each country at the most recent Summer Olympic and Asian Games, with a minimum of US$5,000. Following the Fourth Asian Region Intergovernmental meeting, a number of countries agreed to be invoiced at a higher level than the US$5,000 minimum.

At the sixth Asian Region intergovernmental meeting held in Amman, Jordan, in May 2009, government representatives confirmed they would use the same contribution formula for 2010, i.e. GNI (85 percent) and a Sports Indicator (15 percent), with a number of countries paying a minimum contribution of US$5,000 or above. In addition, governments agreed that the funding formula would be reviewed by 31 December 2012. Should there be any change in the formula, it would be applied to 2014 and be in place for five years.

At the seventh Asian/Oceania Region intergovernmental meeting held in Delhi, India, in May 2010, Governments agreed the contribution for 2011, would be based on the agreement from Jordan in 2009, i.e. GNI (85 percent) and a Sports Indicator (15 percent), with a number of countries paying a minimum contribution of US $5,000 or above. A Finance Committee comprising the Chairpersons of the Asian Regional Anti-Doping Organizations and the WADA Asian Foundation Board members of China, Japan, Jordan and Malaysia were tasked to explore formula options for 2012 and beyond and their recommendation be presented at the eighth Asia/Oceania Regional intergovernmental meeting.

At the eighth Asian/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21-22, 2011, Governments agreed that the contribution for 2012 would be calculated as follows: Japan, Brunei Darussalam, China and the following United Nations Least Developed Countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Timor-Leste and Yemen, would maintain their 2011 contribution amount and any increase in the WADA budget from 2011 to 2012 was to be spread with equal ratio across all other countries. An Ad hoc Committee comprising representatives of China, India, Brunei Darussalam, Qatar and Jordan (Chair) were requested to examine the contribution for 2013 and beyond and present their recommendations to the 2012 intergovernmental meeting.

At the ninth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 28-29 June 2012, Governments agreed that the contribution for 2013 – 2017, would be calculated as follows: Japan and Brunei Darussalam would maintain their 2012 contribution amounts and the United Nations designated Least Developed Countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Timor-Leste and Yemen (nine) pay at least USD 5000, and any WADA budget increase from 2012 – 2013 and beyond be shared by equal ratio across all other countries. This decision may be revisited in five years i.e. 2017, if appropriate.

At the thirteenth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting held in Doha, Qatar, on 29 May 2016, Governments reconfirmed the resolution made at the ninth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministers meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, that the same formula apply for 2017 contributions.  It was also agreed that a Taskforce be established to review the Asian Region share formula, with a recommendation that a final decision be made at the 14th Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting on anti-doping in Sport (2017), to apply for years 2018 – 2022 (five years).  The WADA Asia/Oceania Regional Office was requested to act as the Secretariat for the Taskforce.

At the fourteenth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting held in Hangzhou, China on 22 May 2017, after consideration of the Taskforce recommendations, Governments agreed to apply  formula option One, which was the same option that had been used previously, meaning that , from 2018 - 2022 (five years) the formula would be as follows; Japan and Brunei Darussalam maintain their 2017 contribution amounts, the Least Developed Countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Nepal, Timor-Leste and Yemen (nine) pay at least USD 5000, and any WADA budget increase from 2017 to 2018 and beyond be shared by equal increasing ratio across all other countries;

At the fifteenth and sixteenth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meetings held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 18-19 June 2018 and in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 29-30 April 2019, Governments reconfirmed that they would  follow the resolution made at the fourteenth Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial meeting. In 2019, Governments also agreed to again form a Taskforce comprising a Chairperson and four members of the Asian Region Finance Committee – China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia as well as interested parties, to begin reviewing the funding formula for 2023 and beyond when appropriate.

Europe (47.5%)

Europe operates through two public authority forums: the Council of Europe and the European Union. For the years 2002-2021, the Council of Europe through the Committee of Ministers agreed to the payments and formula. In 2002, payments were established based on the indicative scale of contributions calculated for states party to the European Cultural Convention. The indicative scale is based on GDP and population.

The Council of Europe provides WADA with the amounts each country is to be invoiced.

Oceania (2.54%)

The governments of Australia and New Zealand reached an agreement that Australia would pay 2.18 percent and New Zealand 0.36 percent annually to cover the full cost of the region. This has been the case since 2002.