DENVER – Revelations about positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers The unpunished motion sparked a barrage of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the pinnacle of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, who has long been one among WADA's harshest critics.
WADA said on Saturday it was turning to legal counsel to deal with a press release from Travis Tygart, the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, which said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China “swept positive tests under the rug by failing to act fairly and evenly following the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.”
The allegation got here after WADA confirmed it had cleared 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart drug to compete within the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after reaching an agreement with that country's authorities was that the samples were contaminated.
WADA defended its process, saying it acted in good faith and in accordance with due process when it decided to not challenge the Chinese explanation for the positive results. It then turned its attention to Tygart, saying his comments were politically motivated and that it was “astonished by the outrageous, completely false and defamatory comments” he had made.
WADA noted that USADA has accepted “similar conclusions regarding the contamination of several U.S. athletes” several times over time and that Tygart “should be clear that it is not just American athletes who are victims.” contamination through no fault of 1’s own.” .”
Tygart got here back with one other statement, stating the difference between USADA's handling of contamination cases and this one. The Chinese case involves a drug called trimetazidine (TMZ), which was also at the middle of the case that led to the suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
TMZ is a widely known prescription medication for individuals with heart disease. It is understood to assist athletes improve endurance and reduce recovery times. Its use is subject to essentially the most severe penalties under anti-doping regulations.
Tygart said USADA's previous contamination cases didn’t involve TMZ.
“And most importantly, in all cases of contamination we have detected, we have provisionally suspended the athlete, disqualified the results, found a violation and issued a notice in accordance with the rules,” he said.
None of this happened within the case of the Chinese swimmers, whose cases only became public knowledge when reports from the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph in Sydney emerged on Saturday.
Explaining its handling of the case, WADA acknowledged that there have been difficulties in conducting investigations in China as a result of restrictions imposed by a COVID-19-related lockdown in place in early 2021 when the positive tests were revealed. It said it had consulted lawyers who advised that an appeal of the case was not warranted.
The disagreement is the most recent chapter within the years-long dispute between WADA and Tygart, who has long believed that WADA was not tough enough on Russia after the government-sponsored doping scheme on the 2014 Sochi Olympics was uncovered .
Another undercurrent to this case is the chance that it could find yourself in an American court. According to a US law passed in 2020, that was the case is heavily criticized by WADAFederal prosecutors can bring charges in doping cases that show a conspiracy to interfere with a world event involving U.S. athletes.
“Anyone who gets their hands dirty by burying positive tests and suppressing the voices of courageous whistleblowers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the rules and laws,” Tygart said.
“It should be noted that due to Mr. Tygart’s false allegations, WADA has no choice but to refer this matter to its legal counsel for further action,” WADA’s press release ended, with the paragraph in daring, black font was written.
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