Shortly before the 2021 Olympics
23 Chinese swimmers test positive for doping: Wada declares waiver of sanctions
China’s star Qin Haiyang at the 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. He is also one of the 23 athletes who had a positive doping test in the run-up to the 2021 Summer Olympics.
© Zhang Xiaoyu / Imago Images
23 swimmers from China were caught in doping tests before the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The World Anti-Doping Agency Wada waived sanctions at the time due to a dubious statement – and is now justifying itself again.
In the affair surrounding a series of positive tests among top Chinese swimmers, the World Anti-Doping Agency has withdrawn its consent defended sanctions. “The agency remains committed to the results of its scientific investigation and the legal decisions in this case,” WADA said on Monday night. All allegations in the matter have been examined, but there is insufficient evidence to initiate new investigations, the authority added.
Media reports had previously raised doubts about the role of Wada and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against sports fraud. According to research by the ARD doping editorial team and the “New York Times” as well as a report by the Australian newspaper “Daily Telegraph”, 23 top swimmers tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine at a national competition in China at the beginning of 2021.
Serious allegations against Wada and China
At the Olympics in Tokyo in July/August 2021, the 30-member Chinese team won six medals, including three gold. “A few months before the Olympic Games, the suspicion of turning a blind eye or even covering it up must be comprehensively clarified as quickly as possible. If there is such a serious suspicion of doping, then it must be independently examined by WADA,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD).
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After examining the ARD documentation, WADA assured again that there was no reason to attack the Chinese authorities’ findings. They had determined that the positive doping tests were due to contamination in a hotel kitchen. Therefore, the swimmers went unpunished.
German swimmers fear for sport because of doping
The German Swimming Association called for the events to be dealt with and fears for the credibility of the sport. Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, accused WADA and Chinese authorities of sweeping the positive tests under the rug.