CNN
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Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, controversy over the handling of the 2021 incident in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance threatens to overshadow swimming competitions at this summer's Paris Games. There is.
The New York Times report, published in conjunction with German public broadcaster ARD, said the Chinese athlete was injured in Tokyo three years ago despite testing positive for the heart drug trimetazidine months earlier. He revealed that he was allowed to compete and win medals.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has dismissed claims that the case was mishandled as “outrageous” and “completely false,” while the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) has criticized the situation. He criticized media reports about the matter as “misleading”. ”
But the report has also sparked anger from former and current Olympians.
“People compete because they like to push themselves and race fairly,” former Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“This news undermines the integrity of not just swimming, but sports in general. One of the greatest things about sports is the values and morals it instills in all of us, and this incident undermines the integrity of sports in general. Disagreements are unpleasant.
“There is a reason why we have a global governing body in place. The expectation is that it will set the tone for the sporting community to ensure a commitment to clean and fair sporting activities. is.”
This is not the first time Horton, who announced his retirement from competitive swimming earlier this year, has taken a stand against doping allegations.
He called his rival a drug fraud and refused to share the podium with China's Sun Yang at the 2019 World Championships in South Korea.
Sun was suspended for three months in 2014 for taking trimetazidine to treat heart disease. He was banned from competition in 2018 for a new doping violation, but his eight-year ban was reduced to just over four years in 2021.
Sun is free to return to competition next month, but revelations about the 2021 incident have put the Chinese swimmer and WADA under intense scrutiny.
“Why not release this information at that point? Who really benefits from the lack of transparency and secrecy?” said Britain's Adam Peaty, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. “Very disappointed for WADA,” he added on Twitter (previously on Twitter).
The Canadian Olympic Committee said the media report was “concerning” and “was not previously made known to us,” while U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland ( CEO) said the Canadian Olympic Committee was “deeply disappointed” by the “allegations that call into question its very foundations.” Explain what fair competition means. ”
At a press conference on Monday, WADA President Witold Banka said the agency had “followed all due process and diligently investigated all leads and items of investigation regarding this matter,” adding, “There is no evidence of wrongdoing and no evidence of contamination.” “We have also found no reliable way to disprove the theory.” It was accepted by China. ”
Athletes at the 2021 National Swimming Championships tested positive for “extremely low concentrations” of trimetazidine, according to a statement from China's ADA cited by Xinhua News Agency.
Trimetazidine has the potential to increase endurance and has been banned by WADA since 2014.
Xinhua News Agency reported that China ultimately decided that the players would not be held responsible for the outcome after an “immediate” investigation concluded that the players were inadvertently exposed to the substance through contamination.
At a press conference on Monday, WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel said trimetazidine was detected in the kitchen of the hotel where the players were staying during training camp.
“There is no evidence of any kind of human trafficking or planting of trimetazidine,” Wenzel said. “It was impossible for us to go to court and ask for that inference without any evidence.”
In an exclusive interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian swimming coach Dennis Cotterell, who is currently working with the Chinese team in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, said there were “allegations of systematic doping” in China's swimming program. strongly denied.
He said swimmers in China are prohibited from eating in public from the age of 14 because their food may be contaminated with banned substances, adding: “People who come to China are not allowed to eat in public because their food may be contaminated with banned substances. We know it's a problem,” he told SMH.
The newspaper said Cotterell was not authorized to speak on behalf of the Chinese Swimming Association.
China's National Swimming Championships, which also serves as a selection event for the next Olympic Games, are currently being held in Shenzhen and will conclude on April 27th. At the Tokyo Olympics, China won six medals in swimming, including three gold medals.
