The controversy following last month's report that a Chinese swimmer had tested positive for drugs in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics continued to intensify last week as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stood by to deal with the situation. Ta. Criticism from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and other organizations is increasing.
With less than 12 weeks until swimming competitions begin at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the issue raises new questions about the transparency of doping enforcement and sparks a war of words between key government agencies, all in the spotlight. It is at a time when
what happened
On April 20, the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned substances seven months before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but no one knew what was going on. It was revealed that he had not received any punishment. The banned drug is trimetazidine (TMZ), a prescription cardiac drug that can improve performance by increasing blood flow to the heart.
Some of the athletes who tested positive won medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including three gold medals. The Chinese swimmers' investigation comes after WADA accepted Chinese research suggesting they unknowingly ingested the substance from food they ate at a hotel in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. He was allowed to participate in the Olympics.
Chinese investigators have not said how the banned substance ended up in the hotel kitchen. Two months after the swimmers tested positive, investigators reported traces of the substance found in spice jars, sink drains and exhaust vents in the hotel's kitchen, but this explanation has many implications. anti-doping experts are skeptical.
According to a 61-page report compiled by these researchers and reviewed by The New York Times, 60 tests were conducted on 39 swimmers, and their urine samples revealed 28 results, including 23 swimmers. A person has tested positive. All samples tested positive for the same drug, her TMZ.
Why has this caused controversy?
Questions remain about how Chinese authorities handled the samples, but they were immediately sent to an accredited laboratory where the results were analyzed and reported to WADA and the sport's international governing body, World Aquatics. It was supposed to be. Results were not reported to his tracking site until two months after the samples were taken.
Even a trace amount of this prohibited substance will be recorded as a failed drug test and will result in punishment. The sequence of events following the test was very different from what happened a year later when Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for TMZ (and was also blamed on contaminated food). In the circumstances, WADA immediately challenged the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's decision to lift her suspension, and she was ultimately sentenced to a four-year suspension.
However, no suspension or announcement was made for Tokyo. WADA did not prevent swimmers who tested positive from participating in the Olympic qualifiers or even the Olympics.
What Wada says
On the day of the Times report, WADA accepts the conclusion reached by the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) that the swimmer tested positive for TMZ in early 2021 after being inadvertently exposed to TMZ. issued a lengthy statement defending the decision. Through pollution. The statement highlighted the vetting process and said on-site inspections were not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“WADA ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to disprove the possibility that the contamination was a TMZ source, consistent with the analytical data in the file,” the statement said. “WADA also concluded that, given the specific circumstances of the alleged contamination, the athlete would be deemed to be neither negligent nor negligent. Therefore, on the advice of external counsel, WADA concluded that the appeal is not meritorious. I decided that.
WADA was also asked to review its sample collection and reporting processes by international laboratories in 2022, and said an independent review “concluded that appropriate procedures were followed and there was no evidence of wrongdoing.” .
WADA also threatened legal action against anyone who published “misleading and potentially defamatory” reports about the event.
What USADA says
The same day, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart was scorched.
“It is disappointing to see WADA succumb to threats and intimidation tactics in the face of blatant violations of anti-doping rules,” Tygart said in a statement. “Despite blowing away their rhetoric, the facts remain as reported. WADA provisionally suspended athletes, disqualified results, and failed to publicize positive results. , these are abysmal failures, even if you accept their story that a powerful drug “magically appeared” in the kitchen and resulted in 23 positive tests among China's elite swimmers. …
“Transparency is the key to shining a light in the darkness, and here WADA and CHINADA have left clean athletes in the dark by not following the rules.”
WADA then fired back, saying it was “stunned by Tygart's outrageously false and defamatory statements” and reiterated its view that it had acted appropriately in deciding not to appeal.
Latest development status
In response to this backlash, WADA announced a new review of its procedures on April 25 through independent prosecutor Eric Cottier. This also drew criticism from USADA, as WADA hand-picked Swiss lawyers to conduct the review. Last week, WADA defended Cottier's reputation, saying he is “completely independent.”
Also last week, WADA released a six-page fact sheet to further defend its actions (and inactions). The paper noted that WADA does not have the authority to issue an interim suspension and reiterated that WADA believes in Chinese law enforcement authorities and the kitchen contamination scenario.
WADA also said: “Based on the concentrations of TMZ detected in athletes' samples, there would have been no performance benefit at national competitions in January 2021 (1-3), much less at subsequent events such as the Olympics. There would have been no performance benefit in the event.” About 7 months later in Tokyo. ”
“WADA understands that some parties may disagree with the outcome of this litigation,” the fact sheet states. “However, jumping to conspiracy theories of cover-up and favoritism against China is baseless, defamatory and outrageous.”
Meanwhile, the voices of groups criticizing the investigation are increasing. The World Athletes Association issued a statement last week calling for reforms to WADA's processes, and the Team USA Athlete Commission and USA Swimming Advisory Committee sent a letter to the White House calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
Where does swimming go from here?
A number of prominent swimmers who competed against Chinese swimmers who tested positive for TMZ shared their reactions to these revelations and support for USADA. Given that some of the same Chinese swimmers (including Zhang Yufei, who won gold medals in the 200m butterfly and as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay) will be competing for the championship, it's hard to see this story disappearing any time soon. Very Hard to think. He also won a medal in Paris.
Five-time U.S. Olympic medalist Lily King posted on Instagram after the news broke: “Heartbreaking for the clean athletes and frustration at the system that has failed them.” .
The 2024 Olympics begin on July 26, and Cottier's report is expected to be submitted by then. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach recently said he had “full confidence” in WADA and did not think the situation should affect Chinese swimmers' participation in the Paris Games. Ta.
“If the protocols are followed, there is no reason not to attend,” Bach told Agence France-Presse AFP. “You can't just throw accusations at athletes who don't have the backing of the relevant authorities (in this case WADA) and say OK because some people aren't happy with that. They keep them out of the Olympics. .”
It would be difficult for many Olympic swimmers to trust WADA, given that it took three years for so many test failures to be made public. And it's probably hard to believe that WADA is doing what's best for all international athletes when its defense to date is essentially: we just trusted china.
The case is expected to be a hot topic at the Indianapolis and subsequent U.S. Olympic trials.
even deeper
Torri Husk approaches the Olympics with one goal in mind: Paris
(Photo of China's Zhang Yufei competing in the 200m butterfly final in Tokyo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)