The case of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine and secretly cleared before the Tokyo Games in 2021 continues to agitate the small world of swimming. On social media, many high-profile athletes were stunned or angered by the lack of transparency from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
If Léon Marchand was content with an emoji with big round eyes to show his astonishment, Marie Wattel summarized the general opinion in a few words. “It seems that WADA and the International Swimming Federation have failed us again,” wrote the 2020 European 100m butterfly champion.
Quickly placed under fire after the revelation of the investigation by the New York Times and ARD, the AMA reacted in two stages. First by explaining that the health restrictions linked to Covid at the end of 2020-beginning of 2021 had not allowed him to complete his investigations, that the verification protocols had been respected and that there was nothing to call into question the version accidental mass contamination by food.
Then by announcing that she was going to sue for defamation Travis Tygart, the director of the American anti-doping agency (USADA), author of a severe charge against the opacity of the system.
“It is heartbreaking to see that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a powerful performance-enhancing drug on the eve of the 2021 Olympic Games,” Tygart said in a statement. It is even more devastating to learn that the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency have so far secretly swept these positives under the rug by failing to fairly and uniformly follow the global rules that apply. apply to everyone in the world (…) All those who have dirty hands by burying positive tests and suppressing the voices of courageous whistleblowers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the rules and the law. »
“The ITA found no reliable evidence to suggest a cover-up took place”
The AMA accuses Tygart of wanting to “undermine” its work and of having no evidence to support his accusations. For its part, the ITA (International Testing Agency, an independent control authority created in 2018 under the aegis of WADA and the IOC to fight against doping), requested by Le Parisien, confirms having received confidential and anonymous information at during the summer of 2021 regarding a number of positive findings affecting a group of Chinese swimmers tested by CHINADA (Chinese Anti-Doping Agency) during the first half of 2021.
The body then says it has carried out numerous targeted checks and other investigations for three years without conclusive results. “This is a standard procedure that the ITA puts in place whenever it receives confidential information likely to have an impact on the integrity of our partners’ sporting competitions,” notes the organization. For the sake of clarity and transparency, it should be emphasized that since CHINADA’s decision in 2021, the ITA has found no reliable evidence to suggest that a cover-up or manipulation of the anti-doping process took place. »
WADA statement following outrageous comments by CEO of United States Anti-Doping Agency regarding case of 23 swimmers from China. Read more here: https://t.co/xBXWsheGI7
— WADA (@wada_ama) April 20, 2024
The organization chaired by former sports minister Valérie Fourneyron takes the opportunity to encourage the world of sport to reveal suspect practices. “As always, we continue to urge anyone with suspicions to share them with us through our REVEAL reporting platform,” concludes the ITA. Because any information can potentially significantly advance the fight against doping. »
