The World Anti-Doping Agency has to justify its doping acquittals for China’s swimming team once again. This time it also involves an allegedly contaminated hamburger.
There are new revelations in the scandal surrounding unpunished doping incidents in China’s swimming team. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which has come under fire, confirmed that two other top athletes avoided a long doping ban after positive tests in the recent past and were acquitted of allegations of sports fraud. According to a report in the New York Times, Chinada had exonerated the 2022 Olympic relay champion Tang Muhan, among others, because a steroid found in her body was allegedly traced back to a contaminated hamburger.
Previously, the Olympic competitions had already been overshadowed by the scandal involving 23 swimmers who had tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine at a national competition in China in early 2021 but were not banned. Here, too, WADA had followed Chinada’s decision. An independent investigator had found no wrongdoing by WADA.
Positive doping test due to contaminated hamburger in China?
According to the New York Times, the incidents that have now come to light are the third case in which Chinada has waived bans due to allegedly contaminated food. Tang Muhan, who won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay in Tokyo and has been nominated again for Paris, ate a burger in a Beijing restaurant that was apparently contaminated with the banned substance methandienone.
WADA stressed that it had examined the Chinese decision “with the necessary skepticism.” However, there was no reason to appeal against the acquittals. According to WADA, however, an investigation is currently underway into the quantity and risks of food contaminated with steroids in China and other countries such as the USA.
IOC rejects criticism of doping hunters
China’s swimmers at the Olympics in Paris have vehemently denied doping. After Zhang Yufei, who according to ARD is one of the 23 unpunished swimmers after the 2021 case, won bronze in the 100 meter butterfly ahead of Angelina Köhler, the issue again received a lot of attention in Germany. Kevin Götz from the Athletes Germany association stated “a massive loss of trust and credibility” due to “the way WADA dealt with the suspected cases”.
The International Olympic Committee dismissed doubts about the doping hunters. “The Chinese are the most tested athletes in the world,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. WADA and the International Testing Agency ITA are doing a good job.
Source: Stern
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