CHINADA slams USADA’s political bias in swimming

A statement from China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) (Photo: CHINADA)

The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said USADA's continuous efforts to spread false accusations on the no-fault contamination case of Chinese swimmers is motivated by political bias and anti-China prejudice, after an independent prosecutor's investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) handling of the case found no bias toward China.

"Motivated by political bias and anti-China prejudice, USADA has fabricated false accusations to blur the lines between right and wrong, misleading the international community and the public about the nature of the trimetazidine (TMZ) contamination incident," CHINADA said in a statement released on Friday. "Such accusations fully expose their refusal to acknowledge the investigative facts surrounding the TMZ contamination incident."

This followed WADA's announcement on Thursday that its executive committee has accepted the final report of independent prosecutor Eric Cottier, reaffirming that WADA's decision not to appeal the cases was reasonable.

In response to the independent report, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday that China has always strictly adhered to the World Anti-Doping Code and maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward doping.

TMZ, a drug often used to treat angina, was found in trace amounts, and CHINADA attributed the cases to no-fault contamination at the beginning of 2021.

But since April this year, months of US hype on the 2021 case piled extra pressure on the Chinese swimmers at the Paris Olympics as it led to excessive doping tests ahead of and during the event.

The US double-standard behavior, which turns a blind eye to its own long-standing anti-doping issues while attempting to overreach into the affairs of other countries, has raised widespread concerns.

A Beijing-based sports commentator told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that the US has often politicized anti-doping issues to disrupt their rivals' preparations toward major competitions. "The US often targets others to put itself on the moral high ground ahead of major international sports competitions," the commentator said.

Cottier said in the report that it is regrettable that certain rules were not applied in CHINADA's investigations, as the case happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, but "it does not change the outcome of the cases and the acceptance of the contamination hypothesis."