Investigation has revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the 2021 Olympics, despite the weak explanation given by Chinese officials. Surprisingly, this explanation has been accepted by international organizations, clearing the way for Chinese athletes to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, sparking criticism and attention from the public. The Chief Executive Officer of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) described this as a dagger in the back of clean athletes.
After a two-year independent investigation conducted by the “Doping Editorial Team” of the German public broadcaster ARD and on-site inspections in China, suspicions arose regarding widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs among Chinese athletes. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) responsible for oversight did not take appropriate action.
Among the 23 top swimmers involved were gold medalists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun, as well as the current World Swimmer of the Year, Qin Haiyang. They all tested positive for the drug trimetazidine in January 2021, similar to the case of banned Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Following months of silence, Chinese officials conducted an internal investigation and claimed that all athletes tested negative for doping but traces of the drug were found in the hotel kitchen where the athletes stayed during the competition.
This explanation was accepted by the WADA, enabling Beijing to avoid the usual sanctions and disclosure procedures. No evidence suggests that these 23 swimmers were disqualified from competitions where they tested positive.
In contrast to WADA, the ARD team carried out on-site investigations in China:
Chinese officials claimed that a subsequent investigation at the athletes’ hotel 2.5 months after the competition found traces of trimetazidine in the kitchen’s exhaust fan, spice containers, and wastewater pipes. They suggested that the drug entered the athletes’ bodies through contaminated food, without providing a concrete explanation of how this occurred or who tampered with the hotel kitchen’s food.
The drug, used to treat heart disease, mysteriously made its way into the cooking process. There is no scientific evidence or published data in journals to support the theory that trimetazidine could contaminate the human body in such a way.
The only entity that conducted the on-site investigation in China was the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, a state institution with secret police powers.
A whistleblower informed ARD that the entire contamination story seemed like a fairy tale, and he found the officials’ explanation unbelievable. However, the discovery by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security did not receive any independent verification or questioning from international organizations, including WADA.
ARD emphasized the need for clarity, highlighting the unresolved issues surrounding the kitchen contamination theory provided by Chinese officials. They criticized WADA for failing to conduct a thorough investigation and allowing the issue to disappear from public view by bypassing standard anti-doping procedures.
USADA’s Chief Executive Officer, Travis Tygart, referred to this disclosure as a shocking revelation, implying that it was a betrayal to clean athletes.
In cases of failed doping tests without mitigating circumstances, athletes are generally subject to a two to four-year ban on the first offense and a lifetime ban on the second offense.
During the Tokyo Olympics, Beijing’s 30-member swimming team collectively won six medals, including three gold medals.
Tygart expressed concern over what he perceived as a cover-up by WADA’s top leadership, suggesting that the situation emitted an alarming signal.
He confirmed to ARD that since 2020, they had reported several “specific and credible” whistleblower reports to WADA regarding alleged doping among top Chinese swimmers but were told there was “no impetus for an investigation.”
Since the media first exposed the Russian state doping scandal in 2014, WADA claimed to have undergone substantial reforms and enhanced investigative capabilities.
The public now questions why WADA did not intensify its investigation into the 23 Chinese athletes who tested positive for doping in 2021.
Lawyer Thomas Summerer stated that clear anti-doping violations existed and called for immediate interim bans and the annulment of all competition results, expressing no surprise at WADA’s inaction.
WADA confirmed reports of the 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for banned substances before the Tokyo Olympics.
WADA stated that it could not refute the possibility of contamination originating from trimetazidine, which matched the analytical data in documents.
Former WADA Director General David Howman emphasized the importance of public confidence in regulatory bodies, warning of reputational damage if trust is lost.
“If this situation occurs, it will be a tragedy for the World Anti-Doping Agency,” he said.
责编: 林妍