Swimming, an investigation accuses China: “Many cases of doping covered up before the Tokyo Games”

Chinese shadows on swimming, dozens of cases covered up and medals to be replaced. According to a German investigation ARDa two-year job shared with the New York Times, 23 of China’s top swimmers reportedly tested positive before the Tokyo Olympics without China’s anti-doping agency bothering to stop them. In a video report, the ARD explains that it received the documents, dubbed “China files”, from an investigation report from the Chinese National Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada) regarding a January 2021 competition in Shijiazhuang. The report, drawn up by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, suggests the suspicion of a concealment of positive doping samples trimetazidine.

Six medals in Tokyo

Among these swimmers would be the Olympic champion in the 200 butterfly Zhang Yufeithe 200 medley Olympian Wang Shun and the breaststroker Qin Haiyang, world champion in the 50, 100 and 200 last year. Also according to the ARD, China justified these cases of doping in its report by indicating the cause in the contamination of the food prepared for all the athletes in the hotel kitchen in Shijiazhuang. The report also says that investigators inspected the kitchen two months later and found traces of trimetazidine in the range hood, on the spice containers and in the exhaust. The ARD also explains that China would have transmitted this information to the Adams system and alerted WADA by letter.

“Cover-up at the highest level”

However, the athletes were not temporarily suspended. When contacted, Wada indicated in a press release that it had been informed in June 2021 of numerous anomalous results from Chinese swimmers and that this was linked to the contamination. “WADA ultimately concluded that it was unable to refute the possibility that contamination was the cause of the trimetazidine positivity and that this was consistent with the analytical data contained in the dossier. WADA also concluded that the athletes would not be considered guilty or negligent. Therefore, and based on the opinion of an external consultant, Wada considered that an appeal was not justified.” “If this is true, it would appear to be a cover-up at the highest level in the world,” he admitted to ARD Travis Tygarthead of the US Anti-Doping Agency.