Two elite Chinese swimmers, including one selected for the Paris Olympics, tested positive in 2022 for a banned substance. However, they were secretly cleared of doping late last year by Chinese authorities.
After a thorough investigation, Chinese authorities could not determine how the swimmers had been exposed to the banned substance, a potent anabolic steroid. They concluded that the swimmers likely unknowingly ingested the substance while consuming hamburgers at a restaurant in Beijing.
The Chinese officials emphasized that only trace amounts of the steroid were found in the swimmers’ samples, suggesting contamination rather than intentional doping.
This incident marks at least the third time in recent years that China has attributed positive tests by top swimmers to contaminated food, a justification met with skepticism by many antidoping experts.
Critics view this situation as part of a pattern where China fails to address positive tests in its swimming program and as a broader failure of global antidoping agencies to ensure fairness for elite athletes.
Investigators and a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expert were not convinced by the contamination explanation in this recent case. However, WADA decided not to challenge China’s choice not to impose bans on the swimmers.
Additionally, the International Testing Agency (I.T.A), established in the aftermath of the Russian doping scandal, reviewed the case. An I.T.A official believed that the global governing body for swimming should appeal China’s decision to clear the athletes, but World Aquatics did not pursue this course of action.
