China's State-Sponsored Cheating Threatens Paris Olympics: US Anti-Doping Chief
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Posted 8 days ago
China's cheating threatens to wreck Paris Olympics, US anti-drugs chief says
China's state-sponsored cheating in sports has once again come under scrutiny, with the top U.S. anti-doping regulator warning that the Paris 2024 Olympics could be a "train wreck" if the issue is not addressed.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, has accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of allowing Chinese authorities to cover up illegal drug-taking by top swimmers. According to a bombshell investigation by The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for prohibited drugs before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still permitted to take part in the Games, with several winning medals.
Tygart has criticized WADA for accepting an explanation from Beijing's domestic watchdog, CHINADA, pinning the swimmers' failed tests on a contaminated hotel kitchen where the banned drug trimetazidine (TMZ) was present. He has accused WADA of not holding China to the same standards as other countries and of effectively sweeping the issue under the carpet.
CHINADA did not respond to a request for comment, while a WADA spokesperson denied allegations of pro-China bias and cover-up. However, amid mounting public pressure, WADA has announced it will launch an independent review of its handling of the case.
The issue is particularly sensitive given that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is currently visiting France, where he is meeting President Emmanuel Macron. Macron has made the Olympics a key pillar of his second presidential term, but the prospect of China cheating unhindered through the Paris Olympics is another sensitive subject for the leaders as they grapple with Beijing's tacit support for Russia's war on Ukraine and a looming trade war between Europe and China.
Tygart has warned that the Chinese scandal could be worse than Russian state-sponsored cheating, which marred previous Olympics, notably at Sochi in 2014. He has accused the Chinese of exerting influence over the case thanks to its position as an "incredibly important country to the Olympic Movement."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declined to comment on the issue, while the WADA spokesperson has dismissed Tygart's claims as "utter nonsense." However, USADA has lambasted WADA's handling of the case, publicly criticizing what it called WADA's "doubling down on half-truths and self-serving rationalizations."
American athletes have called on the U.S. government to investigate the cases, and Tygart himself was in Washington last week to meet with officials in Congress to discuss a response to the swimming scandal.
The issue of state-sponsored cheating in sports is not new, but the Chinese scandal highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the global anti-doping system. As Tygart has warned, the failure of sports governance to hold countries accountable for cheating threatens the integrity of the Olympic Games and undermines the efforts of clean athletes around the world.
Sources:
politico.eu
webcache.googleusercontent.comwashingtonpost.com
voanews.com
China's state-sponsored cheating in sports has once again come under scrutiny, with the top U.S. anti-doping regulator warning that the Paris 2024 Olympics could be a "train wreck" if the issue is not addressed.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, has accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of allowing Chinese authorities to cover up illegal drug-taking by top swimmers. According to a bombshell investigation by The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for prohibited drugs before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still permitted to take part in the Games, with several winning medals.
Tygart has criticized WADA for accepting an explanation from Beijing's domestic watchdog, CHINADA, pinning the swimmers' failed tests on a contaminated hotel kitchen where the banned drug trimetazidine (TMZ) was present. He has accused WADA of not holding China to the same standards as other countries and of effectively sweeping the issue under the carpet.
CHINADA did not respond to a request for comment, while a WADA spokesperson denied allegations of pro-China bias and cover-up. However, amid mounting public pressure, WADA has announced it will launch an independent review of its handling of the case.
The issue is particularly sensitive given that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is currently visiting France, where he is meeting President Emmanuel Macron. Macron has made the Olympics a key pillar of his second presidential term, but the prospect of China cheating unhindered through the Paris Olympics is another sensitive subject for the leaders as they grapple with Beijing's tacit support for Russia's war on Ukraine and a looming trade war between Europe and China.
Tygart has warned that the Chinese scandal could be worse than Russian state-sponsored cheating, which marred previous Olympics, notably at Sochi in 2014. He has accused the Chinese of exerting influence over the case thanks to its position as an "incredibly important country to the Olympic Movement."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declined to comment on the issue, while the WADA spokesperson has dismissed Tygart's claims as "utter nonsense." However, USADA has lambasted WADA's handling of the case, publicly criticizing what it called WADA's "doubling down on half-truths and self-serving rationalizations."
American athletes have called on the U.S. government to investigate the cases, and Tygart himself was in Washington last week to meet with officials in Congress to discuss a response to the swimming scandal.
The issue of state-sponsored cheating in sports is not new, but the Chinese scandal highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the global anti-doping system. As Tygart has warned, the failure of sports governance to hold countries accountable for cheating threatens the integrity of the Olympic Games and undermines the efforts of clean athletes around the world.
Sources:
politico.eu
webcache.googleusercontent.comwashingtonpost.com
voanews.com
