The international swimming governing body has confirmed that its executive director has been ordered to testify in a US criminal investigation related to a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who failed doping tests in 2021. These swimmers, despite testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, were allowed to continue competing and even won medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
According to reports, the Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine several months before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned trimetazidine since 2014 due to its performance-enhancing properties. However, China's anti-doping agency claimed that the swimmers were not at fault as they were inadvertently exposed to the substance.
Eleven of the 23 Chinese swimmers implicated in the scandal are expected to participate in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. The US House select committee on China has urged the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate the matter under a 2020 law that allows for the prosecution of individuals involved in doping activities at international competitions.
The CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency expressed concerns over the integrity of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and China's anti-doping watchdog, accusing them of covering up the positive tests. WADA, however, maintains that it followed due processes and found no evidence of wrongdoing, supporting China's contamination theory.
WADA was informed of the positive tests in June 2021, just before the Tokyo Games commenced. The situation has raised questions about the effectiveness of anti-doping measures in international sports and the accountability of governing bodies in ensuring fair play and athlete integrity.
