Chinese Swimmers: Two dozen Tested Positive for Doping Before Tokyo Olympics

The New York Times reported an investigation revealing that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug in 2021. This incident has caused alarm within the antidoping community, with experts expressing concern and accusations being made against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Chinese officials for allegedly mishandling the case. USADA chief Travis Tygart accused both parties of sweeping the positives under the rug. The dispute centers around doping in high-level sports. A British gold medalist demanded bans, while antidoping leaders engaged in a bitter fight over the issue. WADA has responded by seeking legal counsel to address statements made by the CEO of USADA. Swimming Australia welcomed the strict testing procedures to ensure a level playing field and advocated for fairness and integrity.

There have been conflicting reports regarding 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics. According to some media outlets, including ARD broadcaster in Germany and The New York Times, these swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a substance found in heart medication. However, Chinese anti-doping authorities claimed that they ingested the substance unwittingly from tainted food. WADA and swimming's governing body decided not to take action due to "a lack of credible evidence" to challenge China's version of events.