MONTREAL — The world's top anti-doping regulator says 23 Chinese swimmers despite testing positive for a banned heart drug after reviewing television documentaries and newspaper reports. He said he supported the decision to allow athletes to participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a statement on Sunday following the release of a documentary about the incident by German broadcaster ARD.
In a statement following initial newspaper reports, WADA said it agreed with Chinese authorities and ruled that the swimmer's samples were contaminated.
The New York Times reports that Chinese anti-doping authorities found the test result to be an adverse analysis, but released the swimmer without penalty after discovering the sample tested positive as a result of contamination. It was reported.
“Following WADA's review of the documentary, the agency remains firmly supportive of the scientific findings and legal decisions regarding this incident,” WADA said in a statement on Sunday. “We have followed up on all allegations received by WADA's independent Intelligence and Investigations Division and are equally convinced that WADA did not meet the criteria for initiating an investigation because they were not supported by evidence. ing.”
WADA has established a global anti-doping norm based on available scientific evidence and information “collected, evaluated and tested by trimetazidine (TMZ) pharmacology experts and anti-doping experts.” I said below that there is no basis for it. Dispute the findings of Chinese authorities regarding environmental pollution.
WADA said its position was accepted by the World Aquatics Association, which governs international swimming.
WADA has scheduled a press conference for Monday, where WADA President Witold Banka and Director-General Olivier Nigri will answer questions, it said.
The 30-member Chinese swimming team won six medals, including three gold medals, at the Tokyo Olympics. Many of the athletes are still competing on the Chinese national team and are expected to swim at this summer's Paris Olympics.
In an initial statement, WADA responded to what it called “some misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week” and explained the process it followed upon learning of the positive test.
The global anti-drug organization said it had been tipped off by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in 2020 about China's alleged doping coverup, but that USADA had not followed up on the evidence. .
USADA CEO Travis Tygart said the news of the positive test in China was “shocking.”
“The World Anti-Doping Agency and the China Anti-Doping Agency have so far failed to fairly and equally adhere to global rules that apply to everyone around the world, and have hidden these positive points in secrecy. It's even more shocking to know that.'' Tygart said.
The drug at the center of this case was also the drug that led to the suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
In that case, WADA moved to sanction Valieva as soon as it learned of her positive test result.
The incident highlights what many see as flaws in the global anti-doping system. This means that national anti-doping organizations are often the first line of defense in cracking down on drug fraud, and they have different levels of motivation to play that role.
