Chinese swimmers competing in the Paris Olympics will undergo twice as many drug tests as other swimmers from certain other countries.
In the past several months, doping officials have faced criticism following the announcement that 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a prohibited substance were permitted to participate in the Tokyo Games. Alarmingly, eleven swimmers who tested positive for the cardiac drug trimetazidine (TMZ) at a training camp seven months prior to the 2021 postponed Games have been selected for this year’s Summer Games.
During an evaluation of the 23 swimmers’ clearance, World Aquatics, the governing organization, claimed that the way the matter was handled had somehow lessened public confidence in the anti-doping system.
On taking the best measures to avoid the same oversight
It has been reported that the International Testing Agency (ITA) has promised to test Chinese athletes eight times, which is twice as often as is customary, between the start of 2024 and the commencement of the Paris Games.
Furthermore, in addition to testing Chinese athletes, efforts will be made to have the tests administered by an organization other than Chinada and to have the results analyzed outside of China.
In recent discourses, Michael Phelps, an accomplished swimmer in the history of Olympics, stated that the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) cannot be trusted to uphold its rules. Therefore, World Aquatics is trying to reassure athletes once again of its credibility as an organization.
The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has also come under fire from US anti-doping authorities, and the organization has vowed to sue those who criticize it. With this, the International Olympic Committee encouraged sporting organizations to treat the anti-doping organization with respect and still express their confidence that WADA will do its job.
Source: BBC