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WADA fires back at critics over Chinese swimming scandal

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Reuters

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was in full damage control mode on Monday (April 22), firing back at criticism over its handling of 23 positive tests from Chinese swimmers that the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) called a potential cover-up.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">WADA confirmed a New York Times report on Saturday that Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), which is found in heart medication, months before the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics began in July 2021. The findings sparked outrage across the sport and among anti-doping crusaders.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In a show of unity, WADA forcefully responded to the attacks during a nearly two hour Zoom call with the media that featured leaders from the agency&#x27;s science and legal affairs department, investigative unit and president Witold Banka, who said the global anti-doping body stood by its decisions and given circumstances and evidence would do the same again.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;At every stage WADA followed all due processes and investigated every lead and line of inquiry in this matter,&quot; said Banka. &quot;If we had to do it over again we would do exactly the same thing.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;We carefully reviewed the decision of the Chinese anti-doping organization (CHINADA) from every perspective, we interrogated every piece of evidence and gathered further information.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/22/china-calls-swimmer-doping-reports-fake-news-1744"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/22/china-calls-swimmer-doping-reports-fake-news-1744">READ: China calls swimmer doping reports &#x27;fake news&#x27;</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/22/china-defends-swimmers-who-tested-positive-for-banned-drugs-2148"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/22/china-defends-swimmers-who-tested-positive-for-banned-drugs-2148">READ: China defends swimmers who tested positive for banned drugs</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">WADA said it was notified in June 2021 of CHINADA&#x27;s decision to accept that the swimmers returned adverse analytical findings, or AAFs, after inadvertently being exposed to the drug through contamination.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The global anti-doping body took the opportunity on Monday to go through the case outlining in detail how it consulted scientific experts and external legal counsel to test the contamination theory presented by CHINADA.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Chinese report determined that all the swimmers that tested positive were staying at the same hotel where traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen, the extraction unit above the hall and drainage units.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">All the results were consistently low and fluctuating negative and positive.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Fluctuating negative and positive results were determined not to be compatible with deliberate ingestion or micro-dosing.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">CHINADA ruled the positive tests were the result of environmental food contamination and decided not to move forward notifying WADA of the decision.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The case file was made available to the WADA science department which determined the contamination scenario was not only plausible but that there was no concrete element to call it into question.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Legal experts who were consulted agreed an appeal to CAS was not warranted.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Asked why there was no provisional suspension, WADA reminded that under the Code it has no authority to do so.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">World Aquatics, the sport&#x27;s global body formerly known as FINA, said it was confident the positive tests were handled &quot;diligently and professionally&quot; while the International Testing Agency (ITA) confirmed on Monday that it was not aware of any cover-up.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;For the sake of clarity and transparency, it is pointed out that since the CHINADA decision in 2021, the ITA has not come across any reliable evidence that would suggest that a cover-up or a manipulation of the anti-doping process took place,&quot; ITA said in a statement.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">While detailed and thorough in its explanations WADA&#x27;s answers are unlikely to sway critics, who question how the body can so easily accept the findings of an investigation conducted internally by China, a country that has a tainted history when it comes to doping, particularly in the pool.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">USADA chief Travis Tygart for one is not satisfied and wants those burying positive tests to be, &quot;held accountable to the fullest extent of the rules and law&quot;.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">WADA has responded by threatening legal action for anyone accusing it of a cover-up.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;What is clear is that some comments that have been made which suggested a cover-up of doping cases for political reasons couldn&#x27;t be further from the truth,&quot; said Ross Wenzel, WADA general counsel.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;They clearly have the potential to damage WADA&#x27;s reputation therefore it is something we will have to go through with a fine toothed comb and take whatever action is necessary.&quot;</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><em>(Production: Henry Rounce)</em></span></div>

<p>World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) goes in full on Monday (April 22), firing back at criticism over its handling of 23 positive tests from Chinese swimmers. </p>

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) goes in full on Monday (April 22), firing back at criticism over its handling of 23 positive tests from Chinese swimmers.