Doping allegations surrounding China’s swimming team overshadowed events in the pool at the Paris Olympics, bringing the sport’s integrity into disrepute.
China has claimed recent reports of doping among 23 swimmers who tested positive before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were the result of food contamination – an explanation accepted by the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada).
Chinese swimmers shrugged off the doping controversy, stressing that they have been subjected to a rigorous testing regime in the build up to and during the Games.
Telegraph Sport lays out what happened – and explains why there is so much suspicion hanging over the Chinese team.
What happened?
In April 2024, the New York Times published an investigation which revealed 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) months before the Covid-delayed Games began in July 2021. All of the swimmers were cleared by the China Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada) which blamed contaminated food. China’s 30-member swimming team won six medals at the Tokyo Games, including three golds. Chinada said in a statement to the New York Times that its athletes had not violated any anti-doping laws and it was not obliged to publish any details without the consent of the athlete.
What are the suspicions?
The revelation of past positive drugs tests among China’s team have cast a huge shadow over the Paris Olympics, sparking fears that China is involved in a doping cover-up. It comes after Pan Zhanle, who was not one of the 23 swimmers implicated in the Times story, shaved almost half a second off his 100m freestyle time before setting another record for the fastest anchor leg in the men’s 4x100m medley on Sunday night.
The issue has triggered a diplomatic spat between the US and China, while several Chinese swimmers claim they have been met with a frosty reception by their American and Australian competitors.
What is trimetazidine?
TMZ is found in heart medication and helps to metabolise fatty acids, which in turn helps the body to use oxygen. The drug allows for more blood flow to your heart and limits quick changes in blood pressure. Although it was developed for medical use in the 1970s, it only became a banned drug on Wada’s list of prohibited substances in 2014.
How did Wada respond?
In light of the Times report, World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) confirmed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for TMZ before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but accepted the country’s findings that this was because of substance contamination.
In a lengthy statement, Wada slammed the “misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage” of the issue. It also detailed that it had conducted an extensive review based on “additional, unpublished scientific information on TMZ” in which it consulted with independent scientific experts to test China’s contamination theory that “low doses of TMZ could have benefited the athletes during a swimming competition event.”
Have Chinese athletes used trimetazidine before?
Yes. One of the most high-profile cases involving TMZ is that of China’s Olympic gold medallist Sun Yang, who was suspended for three months in 2014 after testing positive for the drug. Sun said he was prescribed the drug by an Olympic team doctor to treat chest pain who was apparently unaware it had been newly added to Wada’s banned substances list. Sun was later banned for four years in 2018 after an altercation with drug testers in China involved him destroying blood vials.
What medals have China won in swimming?
China finished fifth in the swimming medals table at the Paris Olympics, with two golds, three silvers and seven bronze medals. Six of those 12 medals were won by Zhang Yufei, who was among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for TMZ before the Tokyo Olympics.
In response to a frosty reception during her medal ceremony over the weekend, Yufei responded: “Why are Chinese athletes questioned when they swim fast, but no one dares to question [Michael] Phelps or [Katie] Ledecky previously?. I don’t think the doping incident will have any serious impact on us because we are innocent.”
How have others responded?
Adam Peaty: “There’s no point winning if you’re not winning fair.”
Three-time British Olympic champion
“One of my favourite quotes I’ve seen lately is ‘there’s no point winning if you’re not winning fair’. I think you know that’s true in your heart. Even if you touch [the wall] and you know you’re cheating, you’re not winning fair,” said Peaty.
“So for me, if you’ve been contaminated twice, I think as an honourable person, I think you should be out of the sport. But we know sport isn’t that simple. I’ve also been asked by people who haven’t been under contamination, and I respect that, I don’t want to paint a whole nation or a whole group of people with one brush. I think that’s very unfair.
“But there have been two cases of it and I think it’s very disappointing. I’ve tried to keep it out of the conversations until now for the benefit of the team but I think we’re going to use that to our advantage over the next four years, whether I’m there or not. I know these boys will carry that and we’ll see how they do in four years’ time. But I think the people that need to do the job, wake up and do your job.”
Brett Hawke: ‘It’s not humanly possible’
Australian swimming coach who competed in 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, speaking after Pan’s individual gold
“Look, I’m angry for a number of reasons. Look, my friends are the fastest swimmers in history, from Rowdy Gaines to Alex Popov to Gary Hall Jr, Anthony Ervin and all the way up to King Kyle Chalmers. I know these people intimately, I’ve studied them for 30 years.
“I’ve studied this sport. I’ve studied speed. I understand it. I’m an expert in it, that’s what I do, OK. I’m upset right now because you don’t win 100m freestyle by a body length on that field. You just don’t do it.
It is not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length. I don’t care what you say. This is not a race thing, this is not against any one particular person or nation, this is just what I see and what I know.
“That’s not real, you don’t beat that field. Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, Jack Alexy, you don’t beat those guys by one full body length in 100m freestyle. That’s not humanly possible, OK, so don’t sell it to me, don’t shove it down my throat. It’s not real.”
Chinada (China Anti-Doping): The New York Times wants to ‘weaken our competitive ability’
A statement issued on Wednesday
“[The New York Times’] main purpose is to disrupt the order of the Paris Olympic swimming competition, affect the psychology of Chinese athletes and weaken their competitive ability. This is extremely unfair and immoral.”
Pan Zhanli: ‘There has been no impact on me’
100m gold medalist speaking via a translator after his world record individual win
“I tried my best to get the best result. I was very surprised in the end that I broke the world record and it was a magical moment.
“Last year I received 29 tests and never had a positive [result]. From May to July, I had 21 tests, no positive. Today we received a second test already.
“I don’t think there has been any impact [on me] because all the testing has been done in the normal procedure … So it’s not a big issue.”
Simona Quadarella: We need answers
Italian distance swimmer after it emerged last week that two Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned steroid in 2022
“I think we need some answers from this situation,” she said. “We really don’t have confidence, in the situation, in the testing system – in the testing system in other parts of the world.”
Caleb Dressel: Do I have confidence in the case – ‘No, not really’
USA’s seven-time gold medalist speaking before the Games started
When asked if he had confidence in the doping case against China, Dressel replied: “No, not really. I don’t think they have given us enough evidence to support how this case was handled.”
Source Agencies
