U.S. Olympic swimmers are feeling cheated after a report revealed that Olympics and anti-doping officials buried the fact that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances but secretly decided to allow them to compete during the Tokyo Games despite the results.
According to an investigation by the New York Times, officials ignored the test results of the Chinese swimmers during the 2021 games after nearly half the Chinese team tested positive for TMZ. This banned prescription heart medicine can help athletes artificially increase stamina and reduce recovery times.
The decision of the Olympics to allow the Chinese team to continue in competition despite the drug was kept quiet for three years. Now, a U.S. swimmer who won a silver medal in Tokyo insists that Team U.S.A. was cheated in the events China won. And a British gold medalist is calling for an investigation into the coverup of the Chinese drug test results.
Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan from L to R of China pose after the awarding ceremony for mixed 4x100m medley relay final of swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021. (Xia Yifang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“Any time there’s a situation where positive tests aren’t clearly identified and gone through a proper process and protocol, it allows for doubt to creep into athletes’ minds who are competing clean,” said Greg Meehan, the coach for the U.S. women’s team at the Tokyo Games in 2021. “When they’re going into competitions, you can’t help but think, ‘Am I competing in a clean event?’”
On Sunday, the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the 2021 decision to allow China to continue to compete, claiming that the positive tests were due to “inadvertent” exposure to the banned heart medication.
“As part of its review, WADA collected additional, unpublished scientific information on TMZ and consulted with independent scientific experts to test the contamination theory and also whether low doses of TMZ could have benefited the athletes during a swimming competition event,” WADA explained.
The WADA also insisted that because of the COVID pandemic, they could not send officials to China to investigate further. Hence, they “ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to disprove the possibility that contamination was the source of TMZ and it was compatible with the analytical data in the file.”
“WADA also concluded that, given the specific circumstances of the asserted contamination, the athletes would be held to have no fault or negligence,” the agency said. “As such, and based on the advice of external counsel, WADA considered that an appeal was not warranted.”
In a statement on Sunday, WADA Intelligence and Investigations director Gunter Younger also insisted that the agency “followed all due process and diligently investigated every lead and line of inquiry in this matter.”
Xu Jiayu 2nd L, Yan Zibei 1st L, Zhang Yufei 2nd R, and Yang Junxuan of China arrive for the mixed 4x100m medley relay final of swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021. (Xia Yifang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Younger also claimed that there was never any effort to hide the positive testing and the WADA decision.
China’s anti-doping officials also claimed that the red giant’s athletes did not violate any laws or Olympic rules.
United States Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygar blasted the WADA for the secrecy involved in this case.
“It’s even more devastating to learn the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly, until now, swept these positives under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world,” Tygart said. “Our hearts ache for the athletes from the countries who were impacted by this potential coverup and who may have lost podium moments, financial opportunities, and memories with family that can never be replaced.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston
