All You Need to Know About the US Push on Chinese Doping Narratives
Swimming events at the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded days ago, but the waves stirred by the US accusations of doping against Chinese swimmers are still making splashes in the global sporting community.
Allegations of bias toward China, cover-ups of doping scandals, accusations of double standards, long-arm jurisdiction, and claims of systemic doping schemes have led to intense clashes within the global anti-doping community. Key players such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) are at the center of these disputes.
Here are three crucial questions that provide a comprehensive picture of the ongoing controversy.
How It All Started
The saga began in April when The New York Times reported that 23 top Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned substance, in 2021 but were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics months later. USADA accused WADA of “inaction,” a “cover-up,” and failing its mission.
WADA immediately rejected these accusations and appointed independent prosecutor Eric Cottier to review its handling of the TMZ cases. In May, WADA received broad support from its Foundation Board, comprising athletes, the sports movement, governments, national anti-doping organizations, and other stakeholders.
Cottier’s report, released on July 9, concluded that WADA’s handling of the CHINADA no-fault contamination cases involving the 23 Chinese swimmers showed no “favoritism or deference.” The report stated, “The investigator did not find any evidence to suggest any interference or meddling in WADA’s review, either within the agency or externally, from any entity or institution, including CHINADA or the Chinese authorities.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, the House Committee on China requested the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate the case under a federal law that allows probes into suspected doping conspiracies even if they occur outside the US. World Aquatics confirmed that its executive director, Brent Nowicki, had been subpoenaed to testify in the US criminal investigation into the Chinese case opened under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act.
WADA President Witold Banka, speaking at an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Paris on July 24, criticized the Rodchenkov Act, stating it is “a tool for USADA to put itself above the rest of the world, perhaps even to replace WADA as the global regulator for anti-doping.” He warned that if US authorities assert jurisdiction over cases unrelated to them, it risks isolating the US from the global anti-doping system. Banka emphasized that WADA’s reputation was being attacked with “outrageous and politically motivated allegations.”
Why WADA Says It Is Caught in Geopolitical Tensions
The controversy intensified after the Paris Olympics opened on July 26. On July 30, The New York Times published another report accusing two Chinese swimmers of testing positive for metandienone, a banned steroid, in 2022. They were cleared after CHINADA concluded the positive results were due to inadvertent ingestion of tainted food.
WADA issued a statement clarifying that the matter involved athletes from different sports, not just swimming, and highlighted that several cases in the US had been closed without sanctions as no-fault violations due to unusual methods of contamination.
WADA stated that it has been “unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers.” James Fitzgerald, WADA’s head of media relations, told the BBC, “Certain individuals [in the United States] are attempting to score political points purely on the basis that the athletes in question are Chinese.”
He warned, “When members of Congress and senators are inserting themselves into the largely technical world of anti-doping, it ceases to be about scientific and legal analysis and drifts into the political realm.”
An online poll conducted by CGTN showed that 96.25% of respondents criticized the US for its double standards in doping regulation, and 93.45% believed the US is increasingly politicizing the issue.
Why the US Faces Growing Pushback
On August 6, CHINADA questioned USADA’s handling of sprinter Erriyon Knighton’s doping case. Knighton tested positive for the banned steroid trenbolone during an out-of-competition test on March 26, but USADA did not impose any ineligibility, claiming the positive result was due to contaminated meat. Knighton was allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics.
In a new development, Reuters on August 7 exposed a USADA scheme that allegedly allowed US athletes who had committed doping violations to compete without sanctions for years. WADA responded, stating that the scheme threatened the integrity of sporting competition and that it was aware of at least three such cases involving elite and professional US athletes.
“It is ironic and hypocritical that USADA cries foul when it suspects other anti-doping organizations are not following the rules to the letter while it did not announce doping cases for years and allowed cheats to carry on competing,” WADA remarked.
On August 8, CHINADA called for increased testing on US athletes, citing reasons to suspect a systemic doping problem in US track and field sports. According to World Aquatics, Chinese swimmers were the most tested athletes ahead of the Paris Olympics, averaging 21 tests since January 1, 2024, compared to six for US swimmers and four for Australian swimmers.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams affirmed that the Chinese swimming team was “fully tested and the most tested team during the Paris Olympics.”
In a historic victory, the Chinese quartet of Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun, and Pan Zhanle won the men’s 4x100m medley relay final, breaking the US team’s run of ten successive gold medals in the event since 1984. Following the triumph, Xu Jiayu addressed the doping accusations: “We have always followed the rules, made no excuses, and overcome obstacles like fighting a battle. If you know the Chinese, you will know that this is something in our genes.”
The ongoing disputes highlight the complexities at the intersection of sports, politics, and international relations. As the global community watches closely, the pushback against US doping narratives continues to unfold, raising critical questions about fairness, jurisdiction, and the integrity of international sports competitions.
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All you need to know about the U.S. push on Chinese doping narratives
cgtn.com
