“World Aquatics can confirm that its executive director, Brent Nowicki, was served with a witness subpoena by the United States government,” World Aquatics said. “He is working to schedule a meeting with the government, which, in all likelihood will obviate the need for testimony before a grand jury.”
It’s unclear how helpful Mr. Nowicki will be for investigators: He joined swimming’s governing body months after the positive tests took place, and after the Chinese had provided WADA with a dossier explaining how and why it came to clear its athletes.
The Associated Press first reported the statement from World Aquatics on Thursday.
Other evidence has emerged that officials at the World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA, are aware of ongoing law enforcement action directed at them by the American authorities. Late last month, WADA canceled a meeting it was scheduled to have in the United States later this year with other antidoping authorities and sports officials.
On a call to announce the cancellation of the meeting, a WADA official said that among the reasons it was being canceled was that the organization’s leaders did not want to travel to the United States because of an ongoing federal law enforcement investigation, according to Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Mr. Tygart — who has been one of WADA’s most outspoken critics — was not on the call but one of his deputies was, he said.
The federal investigation is being conducted, partly, by authorities in Boston, according to two people briefed on the matter. The authorities have interviewed at least two witnesses, according to the two people.
