China’s Fei Liwei competed in the men’s 400-meter freestyle qualifying round for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France on Saturday. He is one of 11 Chinese swimmers competing in Paris who are at issue in a 2021 sports doping scandal.
Martin Meissner/AP
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Martin Meissner/AP
NANTERRE, France — Standing among a throng of reporters after competing in the Olympic 400-meter freestyle final on Saturday night, China’s Fei Liwei ignored questions about the doping scandal that has engulfed his country’s national team.
“The Chinese government, which is with our team, has always said our model is clean, our results are clean, and our current results are based on hard work and training,” Fei said through a translator.
The 21-year-old from Hangzhou is one of 23 top Chinese swimmers to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Of those, 11 athletes are scheduled to compete in Paris.
Among them is two-time Olympic gold medalist Zhang Yufei, who also told reporters she denied the doping allegations.
But in comments carried by AFP, Zhang acknowledged that the scandal and the questions raised by other athletes were weighing heavily on him.
“I’m very worried that my close friends will look at me suspiciously and not want to compete with me,” Zhang said.
China’s Zhang Yufei competed in the women’s 100m butterfly qualifying event for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France on Saturday.
Ashley Landis/AP
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Ashley Landis/AP
Positive drug test, remains silent
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the world’s lead body for monitoring drug use among athletes, acknowledged it had kept the 2021 results secret and accepted China’s explanation that the positive tests were due to accidental contamination.
WADA did not conduct its own investigation and allowed the athletes to continue competing uninterrupted.
“We believe we are clean,” Faye said. “We are cooperating with WADA in all their testing. We are against doping.”
His comments came on the day that the other two Chinese swimmers who tested positive in 2021 won Olympic bronze medals in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay final.
They were scheduled to attend a press conference after their victory, but did not attend.
US reaction grows over incident
While Chinese athletes face increased scrutiny, the United States is facing growing diplomatic backlash from international sports officials and Chinese state media.
At issue is a US investigation into WADA’s handling of the case.
Last week, the International Olympic Committee threatened to cancel the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City if the United States does not drop investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice.
Belgian IOC member Ingmar de Vos said the criminal investigation launched by the US Department of Justice was “extremely disturbing and fundamentally unacceptable to us”.
At a press conference in Paris, WADA Director General Witold Banka slammed the United States and suggested that American athletes should be more proactive in undergoing drug testing.
Banka echoed the IOC’s criticism and said US concerns were part of a diplomatic power play designed to give greater influence to US authorities.
“It is extremely unfair for one country to impose anti-doping decision-making power on the rest of the world,” Banka said.
World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka attended a press conference for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on Thursday.
Michelle Oyler/AP/AP
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Michelle Oyler/AP/AP
During the press conference attended by Bangka, Chinese media repeatedly suggested that Chinese athletes were being disadvantaged because of stricter testing compared to other countries in the run-up to the Paris Olympics.
The United States Will Not Back Down
WADA officials have repeatedly said the matter was handled appropriately but have refused to explain why the results were kept secret, in apparent violation of drug-testing regulations.
For now, at least, U.S. officials don’t seem willing to back down. In a statement sent to NPR, U.S. lawmakers on the House committee investigating China’s doping scandal said it would be inappropriate to pressure them to drop their investigations.
“It speaks volumes that the IOC is defending WADA rather than working with them in their mission to safeguard clean sport,” the statement said.
Former Olympians Michael Phelps (left) and Allison Schmidt (right) listen to testimony by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart (center) during a congressional hearing examining anti-doping measures for the 2024 Olympics, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Rod Lamkey/AP
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Rod Lamkey/AP
Travis Tygart, director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said in a statement that the diplomatic pressure to drop the case was part of an ongoing cover-up.
“If WADA has nothing to hide, it would welcome the opportunity to answer questions rather than hiding,” Tygart said. “Fundamental questions remain about why WADA allowed China to conceal the results of 23 tests.”
