The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced an extraordinary meeting scheduled for this week to address the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a prescription heart drug. The virtual meeting of its foundation board is set for Friday, providing members with an opportunity to gain further insights from WADA experts and raise any pertinent questions.
The swimmers’ positive tests for trimetazidine, a substance known to enhance performance, before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 drew scrutiny and criticism. Despite the findings, the swimmers were not suspended or sanctioned as WADA accepted the explanation from Chinese authorities attributing the results to food contamination at a hotel where they had stayed.
However, the handling of the case has sparked controversy, with Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), labeling it a “potential cover-up” and raising concerns about the lack of public disclosure of the positive tests at the time.
In response to the scrutiny, WADA has invited independent prosecutor Eric Cottier, a former Swiss public prosecutor, to review its handling of the case. While some have questioned WADA’s decision-making process, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach has expressed support for the agency’s actions and suggested that the Chinese swimmers could still compete at the upcoming Paris Olympics if cleared of any wrongdoing.
