The US Anti-Doping Agency stated on Tuesday (April 23) that after the exposure of the doping scandal involving the Chinese swimming team, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) must undergo thorough reforms to restore public confidence in anti-doping supervision before the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is calling for an independent prosecutor to review the cases of 23 Chinese swimmers. Recent media reports indicate that these Chinese athletes tested positive for banned substances before the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but WADA accepted the explanation provided by Chinese authorities that the samples were contaminated and did not impose any penalties.
In a press release, USADA stated, “Athletes and the public urgently need and should be able to have confidence in WADA responsible for doping tests at the Paris Olympics.”
They urged the appointment of an independent prosecutor to review the 23 cases of positive tests and ensure that these cases receive a fair trial.
WADA held a two-hour press conference on Monday (April 22) to refute the latest media revelations and defend its executives’ handling of the matter.
The 23 top Chinese swimmers involved include gold medalists Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun from the 32nd Tokyo Olympics, as well as reigning World Swimming Association’s annual best swimmer, Qin Haiyang. They all tested positive for clenbuterol in testing conducted in January 2021 (months before the Tokyo Olympics).
In June 2021, WADA was informed that the Chinese Anti-Doping Organization had decided to accept the explanation that the 23 Chinese swimmers had come into contact with clenbuterol due to contamination of seasoning containers in their hotel kitchen.
The case files were provided to WADA’s scientific department, which concluded that the contamination scenario was plausible and found no clear evidence or compelling reasons to doubt the legitimacy of the contamination. This move cleared procedural obstacles for the implicated Chinese athletes to participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, stated on Monday that the involved Chinese swimmers should be temporarily suspended.
According to regulations, athletes who fail doping tests are typically subject to suspension ranging from two to four years for a first offense, and a lifetime ban for a second offense, without mitigating circumstances.
The standard procedure is for WADA to prosecute athletes found with positive test results, imposing temporary bans and entering into public disclosures and other routine steps.
The US Anti-Doping Agency stated in a press release, “The statute of limitations for these cases has not expired, and avenues for applying rules and due process may still exist.”
The statement stressed the need for a fair investigation into the matter before the 2024 Paris Olympics, as competing against athletes who had tested positive and had results kept confidential is unfair to all participants in the Olympic Games.
The US Anti-Doping Agency also calls for a comprehensive review by WADA’s Executive and Foundation Committees on how swimmers manage to escape punishment.
The statement emphasized, “All athletes, sponsors, and fans participating in the Olympic Games deserve a truly global guardian organization that is resolute and determined to enforce rules uniformly and fairly.”
“Furthermore, following this review, we urge governments and sports organizations worldwide to thoroughly reform WADA to ensure incidents of concealing positive samples on the eve of the Olympics do not recur,” the statement added.
Since the media first exposed the Russian state doping scandal in 2014, WADA has vowed substantial reforms and enhanced investigative capabilities. The doping scandal involving the Chinese swimming team will once again challenge the credibility of this international organization.
According to a 61-page investigation report from Chinese officials, traces of clenbuterol were found in the hotel ventilation fans, seasoning containers, and kitchen drains where athletes were staying, 2.5 months after the competition ended.
They claimed that clenbuterol was introduced into the athletes’ bodies through food. However, they did not explain precisely how this occurred or who introduced the undisclosed prescription drug into the hotel kitchen’s food.
How did this heart medication find its way into cooking processes? Even scientific journals have not published information on such cases, indicating that clenbuterol may have contaminated the human body in this manner.
The only entity conducting this investigation on site in China was the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Public Security is a state institution in China with secret police powers.