A report released on Thursday confirmed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) did not show favoritism toward China in the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance but were still allowed to compete. The report, authored by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, also recommended improvements in WADA's rules and processes.
The case involved Chinese swimmers testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication, during a domestic competition in late 2020 and early 2021. The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) concluded that the swimmers unknowingly ingested the substance through tainted food. WADA accepted this explanation, and no penalties were imposed on the athletes, 11 of whom later competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
