The New York Times revealed that 23 elite Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance before the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, but China and the World Anti-Doping Agency defended their decision to allow them to compete. Some of the swimmers had tested positive for a different performance-enhancing drug years earlier but were not publicly identified or suspended. This has raised suspicions among rival athletes and experts about Chinese doping practices and the integrity of the global antidoping system.
Three of the Chinese swimmers who tested positive in 2016 and 2017 for clenbuterol, a banned steroid, went on to win gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and are expected to compete for medals in the upcoming Paris Games. Antidoping experts believe that if existing rules had been followed, the athletes should have been publicly identified and subject to further scrutiny, possibly resulting in disqualification from the Olympics. The athletes claimed the positive tests were due to contamination from food they consumed, a common defense in doping cases involving clenbuterol.
The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the positive tests for clenbuterol among the Chinese swimmers but attributed them to food contamination, a pervasive issue in China. WADA stated that the levels of clenbuterol found in the athletes’ systems were very low and blamed meat contamination for the positive tests. WADA and World Aquatics, the global swimming governing body, acknowledged the positive tests and announced reviews of their handling of the cases, raising concerns about their oversight and adherence to antidoping protocols.
The Chinese antidoping agency reportedly prepared a confidential report that cleared the 23 swimmers of any wrongdoing in 2021, stating that the positive tests were due to inadvertent contamination. The report cited previous cases of Chinese athletes being contaminated with banned substances due to food consumption, including the ones involving the three swimmers who tested positive for clenbuterol in 2016 and 2017. However, questions have been raised about China’s history of dealing with positive tests and the lack of public disclosure and investigation into the cases.
The revelation of hidden positive tests among Chinese swimmers has cast doubts on the effectiveness and integrity of the global antidoping system and the willingness of authorities to hold countries accountable for doping by their athletes. Athletes’ rights advocates have criticized WADA and Chinese authorities for not following established rules and procedures in handling positive tests and calling for more transparency and accountability in antidoping efforts. The prospect of athletes with hidden positive tests competing in future Olympic Games has further eroded confidence in the antidoping system among athletes and coaches.
