Top Chinese Swimmers Tested Positive for Banned Drug, Then Won Olympic Gold
New York TimesMay 01
Chinese Olympic Swimmers Win Gold Amid Doping Allegations
Above: Gold Medalists from Team People's Republic of China pose following the Swimming medal ceremony after the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Final on August 04, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Image copyright: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
The Facts
The Chinese national swimming team has netted 12 medals at the Paris Olympics, including two gold, in the midst of allegations that positive tests for banned substances present in 23 Chinese swimmers ahead of the Tokyo Olympics had been improperly handled by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
China’s Anti-Doping Agency had cleared the athletes who tested positive for a heart medication, trimetazidine, ruling that the results were due to the consumption of contaminated meat, which WADA accepted.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
These allegations are sour grapes from countries that have been overshadowed by China's record-breaking swimming performance at the Games. WADA has cleared the Chinese athletes and has the final word on these matters. American athletes have also tested positive based on food contamination, with these claims reflecting a xenophobic double standard China is held to.
Anti-China narrative
Not only did WADA uncritically accept an implausible story from the Chinese, but they hid this story from daylight for years. Now exposed, they have resorted to intimidation tactics and claiming victimhood in the face of this gross mishandling. WADA needs a top-to-bottom investigation, as it casts a cloud over the Games this year and the athletes participating.