The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) are once again at odds following new reports indicating that more Chinese athletes—one of whom is set to compete in the Paris Olympics—have been exonerated by claiming a contaminated meat defense.
In a different matter pertaining to a doping investigation involving 23 Chinese swimmers that surfaced in April, the New York Times disclosed that Tang Muhan and He Junyi tested positive after consuming french fries, Coca-Cola, and hamburgers at a restaurant in Beijing in October 2022.
However, the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada) subsequently determined that the steroid detected originated from contaminated meat in a burger, leading to both athletes being cleared. Tang is now anticipated to represent China in the relay on Thursday.
Wada confirmed that the two swimmers tested positive for “trace amounts” of metandienone in October 2022 but indicated this was part of a broader series of positive tests in China linked to meat contamination.
“Chinada’s investigation involved testing hundreds of meat samples from various sources, and many yielded positive results for metandienone,” Wada stated. “Chinada also examined the athletes’ nutritional supplements and performed hair tests, which returned negative results. Importantly, both swimmers had negative doping control samples just before and after the single trace positive.”
Usada expressed outrage in response to the statement, accusing Wada of allowing China to “compete under a different set of rules, thereby skewing the playing field in their favor.”
Travis Tygart, the chief executive of Usada, remarked: “A mountain of evidence shows that the system has failed; Wada has permitted China to operate under its own rules, and public trust in Olympic values is eroding.
“The upcoming swimming relay event will be tainted due to the concealment of a positive test for a serious steroid by China, compounded by Wada allowing China to overlook 23 positive swimmer tests. The aspirations of clean athletes have been undermined by these oversights.”
Wada countered by accusing the US of attempting to undermine its credibility through implications of misconduct. “The politicization of Chinese swimming persists with this recent effort by the US media to suggest wrongdoing by Wada and the broader anti-doping community,” it stated in a release.
“As recently demonstrated, Wada has been unjustly caught in the crossfire of geopolitical tensions among superpowers, having no mandate to engage in these issues.”
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Wada did express concern about some athletes using contaminated meat as a justification for positive tests. “This matter once again highlights the more substantial issue of contamination, particularly food contamination,” they noted. “Given the number of cases, it is evident that contamination is a significant problem in several countries globally.”
“Aside from China, there have been several instances in the US in recent months where complex contamination scenarios have been recognized. The ongoing review of the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards will offer an opportunity to explore potential solutions to this persistent issue affecting clean sport.”
