As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach, countries around the world have begun announcing their final rosters in a variety of sports.
The Chinese Swimming Association released its list on Tuesday. But the list raised eyebrows as 11 of the 31 swimmers named were already under fire after testing positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine in 2021, NBC reported.
However, the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) finally cleared athletes to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
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A view of the Olympic rings in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
WADA said the swimmers' positive tests were due, at least in part, to inadvertent exposure to the substance through contamination.” The Chinese Doping Agency initially put forward a similar argument, which WADA said was “not supported.” in a position to refute.”
However, the decision sparked some backlash, with US Anti-Doping Agency officials suggesting that WADA was possibly involved in an alleged cover-up scheme.
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WADA denied those claims, describing the idea as “completely false and defamatory.”
“(WADA) is stunned by the outrageous, completely false and defamatory comments made by the Executive Director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tygart, who has made very serious allegations against WADA in connection with the case. of 23 swimmers from China,” WADA said in a press release in April.
Tygart told BBC Sport that pressure was being pushed for “independent processing of these previously concealed positive tests”.
South façade of the Bourbon Palace with the flags of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, June 4, 2024. The AN National Assembly is the French institution that forms, with the Senate, the Parliament of the French Republic. (RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is the clash we were concerned about and is exactly why we are calling for real, independent processing of these previously hidden positive tests, especially since the statute of limitations has not yet expired,” he said.
“All athletes deserve to know that it is a fair outcome for these Chinese athletes to be at the Paris Games competing against other athletes who have been held to the strictest standards.”
The logo, Paris 2024, representing the Olympic Games, several months before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is displayed on the facade of an official store on February 21, 2024 in Paris, France. (Chesnot/Getty Images)
WADA began an independent review of the case, but the results have not yet been published.
In June, seven-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky expressed her belief that trust in the anti-doping system was at an “all-time low” following the doping scandal. The American superstar swimmer added that the controversy had the potential to overshadow the Summer Games.
“It's hard to come to Paris knowing that we're going to compete with some of these athletes,” Ledecky said.
Just under two months ago, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach endorsed WADA, saying he had “full confidence” in the organization. He also expressed his belief that if the swimmers were cleared, they should be allowed to compete in Paris.
“If the procedures are followed, there is no reason why they should not be there,” Bach told the AFP news agency.
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This week, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the country has “consistently adhered to the firm stance of zero tolerance toward doping” while also establishing safeguards around “fair competition in sports competitions.” “.
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