Top Chinese swimmers allowed to compete and win medals in Tokyo Olympics despite failing drug tests

A total of 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to participate in the Tokyo Olympics despite having tested positive for a prohibited substance seven months prior to the mega event, according to a New York Times report.

Notably, the 30-member Chinese swimmers secured six medals in the Tokyo Olympics, including three gold medals. Interestingly, two-time gold medalist Zhang Yufei, who failed the drug test, will compete in the Paris Olympics 2024.

On April 20, Saturday, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stated that the swimmers tested positive for the heart medication Trimetazidine in the months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, the Chinese authorities confirmed to the agency that the positives were the result of contamination.

“Ultimately, we concluded that there was no concrete basis to challenge the asserted contamination,” WADA’s Senior Director of Science and Medicine, Olivier Rabin emphasized in a news release.

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WADA calls the report on Chinese swimmers “misleading”

WADA was quick to respond to the report published, deeming as “misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week” and explained the process it underwent upon discovering the positive tests.

The global anti-doping agency further stated that it had received a tip from the US Anti-Doping Agency as early as 2020 regarding allegations of doping cover-ups in China. However, USADA allegedly failed to follow up with evidence.

Travis Tygart, USADA CEO, expressed dismay at the revelation of the Chinese positive tests, labeling it as “devastating” for keeping the positive tests under the carpet.

“It’s even more devastating to learn the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly, until now, swept these positives under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world,” Tygart said.

World Aquatics, the governing body for global swimming, told the Daily Telegraph it was confident that “these (adverse analytical findings) were handled diligently and professionally, and in accordance with all applicable anti-doping regulations, including the World Anti-Doping Code.”

The substance central to this case was also the medication that led to the suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva during the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. In that instance, WADA swiftly sanctioned Valieva upon learning of her positive test.