WASHINGTON — U.S. Olympians have lost confidence that the World Anti-Doping Agency will rid sports of cheaters ahead of next month's Summer Olympics in Paris, two former gold medalists said Tuesday in prepared testimony before a House subcommittee.
The comments from Michael Phelps and Allison Schmidt came after it was revealed ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned heart drugs but were allowed to compete by WADA. Five of them went on to win medals, including three golds.
Phelps is the most decorated swimmer in history, having won Olympic gold medals 23 times. Schmidt, a four-time gold medalist, was part of the U.S. 800-meter freestyle relay team that finished second to China and won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Both the Chinese and U.S. teams broke the previous world records in the relay.
“We raced hard, we practiced hard and followed all the rules. I respected our athletes' performance and accepted our defeat,” Schmidt said. “But now, knowing that China's relay was made up of athletes who were not suspended, I look back with skepticism. We may never know the truth, and it may haunt many of us for years to come.”
Phelps expressed frustration that nothing has changed since he testified before the same subcommittee seven years ago about WADA's response to Russian state-sponsored doping.
“As we sit here once again, it is clear that any attempts at reform at WADA have fallen short and that deep-rooted systemic problems remain that repeatedly undermine the integrity of international sport and athletes' rights to compete fairly,” Phelps said.
International doping regulators have accepted the conclusion of Chinese anti-doping officials that 23 athletes took banned substances through tainted hotel meals, a conclusion that has been questioned by independent anti-doping experts and which Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called “outrageous.”
WADA concluded that restrictions in China to combat the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to carry out an “on-site investigation” into the positive tests and that it could not disprove the Chinese authorities' explanation.
In response to the criticism, WADA appointed Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier as an independent investigator to look into the China case. Cottier was appointed on April 25 and was expected to release his findings within two months. His appointment also angered critics who pointed to a possible conflict of interest.
The United States contributes more to WADA than any other country, about $3.7 million this year, and Tygart noted in his testimony that China has given WADA $1.8 million more than it is required to give since 2018.
Tygart called on the United States to make future funding for WADA contingent on the organisation's reforms.
