Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for banned substance hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. The teenager missed out on a bronze medal by 9/100ths of a second, finishing fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly.
With the test, the teenager becomes the first athlete at the Rio 2016 games to test positive for a banned substance.
Diuretics have been used with, and not necessarily as sporting performance enhancers in the past; as they increase the production of urine, they are often used to flush out steroid residue
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She was also scheduled to participate in the women’s 50m freestyle event, which begins today, but that participation is now under question.
18-year-old Chen has appealed to the International Olympic Committee for a test of her b-sample, in addition to requesting a hearing towards the issue. This will leave her participation in the other event in jeopardy as she awaits the test – following which she will need to wait for the results.
According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, the Chinese Swimming Association and Chen were in ‘full cooperation’ to uncover the allegations, but both FINA (the sport’s international governing body) and spokepersons for the Swimming Association avoided questions.
Chinese Swimming Association representative Li Keke said in a statement that they were “yet to receive any official confirmation” but would “closely monitor the situation.”
The revelations come in the wake of a significant drug-related scandal in the sporting world. Following a WADA investigation that uncovered evidence of state-sponsored doping among Russian athletes, a few swimmers who had in the past been found to have used performance-enhancing drugs, were allowed to compete at the Olympics this year.
This prompted backlash from several other participants.
More to follow on Chen Xinyi.
