As we approach the summer Olympics in Paris, global excitement grows for the upcoming games. However, yet another investigation into a large-scale case of doping has led to doubt on the integrity of the athletes and sports regulatory boards.
Four summers ago in Tokyo, 23 Chinese swimmers, roughly half the team, reportedly tested positive for the drugTMZ [1]. TMZ, trimetazidine, is a heart medication known to boost stamina and diminish recovery time, and has been banned from the Olympics since 2014 [3]. This drug is the same substance notoriously used by Kamila Valieva, a Russian figure skater who was subsequently banned and disqualified from 2022’s Beijing Games [2].
After years of the information being hidden, Recent media outlets have published news of the positive testing, with the World Anti Doping Agency, WADA, confirming these findings. The original investigation, done by a Chinese agency, stated that many of the Chinese swimmers were staying in the same hotel, where they had consumed a “tainted food supply” [1]. The reports describe finding remnants of the drug in the hotel’s kitchen, accounting for the positive results WADA affirmed that there was “no concrete bais to challenge the asserted contamination” [1], explaining why they allowed the athletes to compete.
However, many in the sports industry remain unappeased by this evaluation, especially countries that competed in the Olympics, such as the United States, Australia and more. Not only were the Chinese swimmers able to compete, but three were able to win gold medals- possibly snagging awards from other deserving athletes. According to the US Anti Doping agency, “It’s beyond question China didn’t follow the rules” [4].
The agency, one of the largest advocates for stricter doping regulations, compared this case to Russian skater Valieva, who was taken out of the Olympic games during her investigation, and was put back in shortly after. Whereas Valieva’s positive test was revealed during the Olympic games and was given a harsh 4 year sanction, these doping violations were not released to the public till recently. The agency’s CEO, Tygart, asserts WADA “swept it under the carpet” as “they didn’t find a violation. They didn’t announce a violation. They didn’t disqualify the athletes” [4].
For the upcoming summer games, administrations like the US Anti Doping Agency hope for better enforcement. Tygart states, “WADA didn’t do their job in ensuring that the rules were effectively enforced. And it took a whistle-blower and other people in the New York Times and [a] German public station to come out and expose what we’re now seeing” [4].
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/20/world/asia/chinese-swimmers-doping-olympics.html
[2]https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2024/4/22/chinese-swimmers-doping-scandal-tokyo-olympics-2021-wada-controversy-banned-substance
[3]https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/chinese-swimmers-trimetazidine-positive-tests-before-olympics/story?id=109463142#:~:text=TMZ%20is%20a%20medication%20that,2022%20Beijing%20Winter%20Olympic%20Games.
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LMPJ1_bwyQ