China has announced that 11 swimmers previously involved in a doping scandal will participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics in a move that has sparked controversy.
This decision comes after revelations in April that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a heart medication known to boost athletic performance, prior to the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Despite the positive tests, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) did not impose sanctions, accepting the explanation from Chinese officials that the issue stemmed from contaminated food. Some of these athletes went on to secure medals at the Tokyo Games, including gold.
On Tuesday, China disclosed its swimming team for the Paris Games, which includes 11 of the athletes who tested positive for TMZ. Notable among them are Zhang Yufei, a butterfly specialist with two gold medals from Tokyo, and Wang Shun, another gold medalist. Additionally, Qin Haiyang, a promising young swimmer mentioned in the April reports, is set to compete in Paris.
The lack of disciplinary action from WADA has drawn sharp criticism, especially from the United States. Travis Tygart, the chief of the US anti-doping agency, has suggested that there may be a “potential cover-up,” a claim that both WADA and China refute.
In response to the outcry, WADA has announced plans to send an audit team to China to evaluate the integrity of the nation’s anti-doping efforts, a process that Chinese authorities have agreed to facilitate. The international community awaits the outcome of this investigation with keen interest.
Reported By AFP.
