The doping controversy looming over these Olympics has escalated after a prominent member of the US team expressed doubts regarding the handling of a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers.
Caeleb Dressel, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, delivered a starkly candid three-word response when asked about his trust in the authorities: “No, not really.”
When further questioned, he remarked: “I don’t think they have provided sufficient evidence to support how this case was managed.”
This is Dressel’s third Olympics, but it marks his first since the emergence of a scandal involving Chinese swimmers testing positive for a prohibited heart medication, TMZ, in 2021.
The issue only came to light thanks to reports from the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD-1 in April, which have raised concerns among regulators and athletes questioning the thoroughness of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation from three years ago.
The US Anti-Doping Agency has been notably critical of WADA’s decision to endorse a Chinese investigation that concluded all 23 swimmers were contaminated by traces of TMZ found in a hotel kitchen, despite a lack of published evidence to corroborate this theory.
Earlier this month, an independent inquiry – commissioned by WADA – concluded that the anti-doping authority did not demonstrate bias in allowing the swimmers to compete in Tokyo.
However, criticism persisted at a WADA press conference on Thursday, where ARD journalist Hajo Seppelt directly challenged WADA’s methods, asserting that their investigation was inadequate, failing to interview the Chinese athletes or examine social media evidence from 2021 indicating they did not all stay at the same hotel.
Reports suggest that 11 of the 23 Chinese swimmers are set to compete in Paris. Nevertheless, this situation transcends mere doping disputes and delves into the intricacies of global geopolitics and the ongoing conflicts surrounding anti-doping policies.
The FBI is currently investigating the Chinese swimmers under the Rodchenkov Act, legislation enacted post-2014 Russian doping scandal that grants federal authorities broad powers in enforcing doping laws globally.
However, WADA and the International Olympic Committee view USADA’s actions as a challenge to their authority. On Thursday, WADA president Witold Banka revealed that the Rodchenkov Act would be reviewed next month for compliance with the global anti-doping code.
There is a prevailing sentiment that this could lead to a potential declaration of non-compliance for USADA by WADA, which may trigger various disciplinary measures, including possibly losing the rights to host the Olympics.
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Additionally, the IOC has issued a warning to the US, stating it must support WADA as the leader in global anti-doping efforts or it risks losing the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2034. The host city contract has been revised to allow termination in cases where WADA’s authority in combating doping is not fully respected or if the anti-doping code’s enforcement is compromised.
Gene Sykes, chair of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee board, acknowledged that the conflict between WADA and USADA has been increasingly problematic. “They’ve been engaging in a media tug-of-war, which is understandably distressing,” he stated.
In his remarks in Paris, Banka also indicated that WADA could not guarantee that these Olympics would be the most drug-free ever. “That’s not our role,” he clarified. “We do not aim to guarantee that every single athlete is clean. It’s evident that doping will always be a part of the sports landscape, and there will always be individuals seeking to cheat.”
Some swimmers, however, remain skeptical about WADA’s efforts. Australian breaststroke champion Zac Stubblety-Cook expressed his concerns. “I wholeheartedly believe in fair sport and I wish for these Games to be untainted,” he asserted. “However, it’s less about the nationality of the swimmers and more about the systemic failure that it represents. That’s the reality.”
