Testing for fair competition has seen significant advancements over the last few decades. World-class athletes undergo routine drug screenings through blood and urine tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has an agreement with athletes competing at the national or international level, making them subject to doping control at any time or place. However, WADA’s role has come under scrutiny during the Paris Games, particularly regarding the Chinese swimming team.

For you to get the whole picture, we will need to travel back in time. In 2016 and 2017, three Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol; a beta-2 agonist used to increase oxygenation and, in high doses, to increase metabolism and weight loss. 

Before the Tokyo Olympic games, The New York Times reported that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance, trimetazidine (TMZ); two of them became Olympic champions in Tokyo despite multiple positive tests, and another who was 14 or 15 at the time of her positive test in 2017 but went on to win gold and silver medals at the Tokyo Games.

According to The Times, details about the positive tests in 2016 and 2017 were included in a confidential report written by Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) authorities and given to WADA at the time but never publicly released.

Jumping ahead, two Chinese swimmers then tested positive for trace amounts of a prohibited substance, methandienone, an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication, in late 2022, according to WADA. The Times reported last week that two more Chinese swimmers had tested positive, including one 2024 Olympian.

CHINADA confirmed that the positive findings resulted (again) from food contamination. WADA collected the samples in October of 2022 and confirmed the findings following analysis at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Beijing. Early this year, after reviewing the tests conducted by CHINADA, WADA concluded that there was no evidence to challenge contaminated meat as the source of the positive tests and, therefore, decided not to appeal to The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 

“The issue of contamination is real and well-known by the anti-doping community,” the WADA director general, Olivier Niggli, said in a reply to The Times investigations. After the positive tests in 2022, Chinese authorities initially issued provisional suspensions against the two swimmers as required by the WADA code. A consequence that was not carried out against the 23 swimmers who had tested positive in 2021.

For this reason, we are beginning to see an uproar from fellow testing agencies and other Olympic swimmers. 

“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry,” shared Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, in a press statement on Monday. “I believe one and done.”

Serious controversy arose after the men’s 100-meter freestyle. Pan Zhanle from China won by over a second and beat his world record. To put this into perspective, Sarah Sjöström of Sweden won the women’s 100-meter freestyle by 0.13 seconds, which is more typical. 

However, it is important to note that Pan was not among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine before the Tokyo Olympics. Phelps acknowledged that accusing Pan of doping would be unfounded, particularly given his experience with similar scrutiny when breaking world records.

Other swimmers, however, are expressing concern over the broader implications for the sport.

“In sport, one of my favorite quotes I’ve seen lately is ‘There’s no point in winning if you don’t win it fair,'” shared British swimmer Adam Peaty after his team finished fourth in the 4×100-meter medley relay. “I think you know that truth in your heart. Even if you touch and you know you’re cheating, you’re not winning, right? So, for me, if you’ve been on that and you have been contaminated twice, I think as an honorable person it means you should be out of the sport. We know sport is not that simple.”

Two of the four team members were among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and were part of this year’s winning 4×100-meter medley relay in Paris. 

WADA and the International Olympic Committee are now facing inquiries from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the FBI, who are investigating the Chinese case. In 2022, the U.S. enacted the Rodchenkov Act, which grants the U.S. government authority to investigate doping conspiracies in events involving U.S. athletes, extending to the Olympics and other international events.

“It’s crushing news to wake up to for all athletes and fans of the Olympic movement that the failures of the global anti-doping system have overshadowed what should be a moment to bring the world together,” shared Travis Tygart, United States Anti-Doping Agency CEO, in a statement last week. “China seemingly has the playbook to compete under a different set of rules, tilting the field in their favor. The failed leadership of the anti-doping system has allowed one country special treatment at the very time we should all be united behind the Olympic values of fair play and respect for all fellow competitors.” 

As the conversation around doping in sports continues to evolve, the integrity of fair competition remains a significant concern. The repeated incidents involving the Chinese swimming team underscore the ongoing challenges faced by anti-doping agencies globally. Despite improvements in testing and regulation, ensuring a level playing field remains a complex task. The hope is that future competitions will be free from the shadow of doping, allowing true talent and dedication to be recognized.

 

Written by Jessie Tobin, MA, BA

After receiving her master’s in professional communication, Jessie began her professional career at a healthcare technology startup, where she managed all content writing, paid media, email marketing and partner relationships. She is deeply passionate about using storytelling to build strong emotional connections between brands and their audiences, a skill she has refined through her YouTube channel, which has over 17 million views. Aside from copywriting, she shares her writing expertise teaching night courses as an adjunct professor at The University of Tampa.

 

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