Michael Phelps frustrated over WADA's handling of Chinese doping case, claims 'Olympic Games might not even be there' if the situation continues

Michael Phelps lashed out at the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) over its handling of the Chinese swimming team doping case, which came out earlier this year. Phelps testified about the need for stricter doping measures during a Congress session and claimed that American athletes were losing faith in the agency ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.

The testimony comes after revelations earlier this year that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication in lead up to the Covid-affected 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, WADA allowed them to compete. Following the revelations, Chinese anti-doping officials claimed that the swimmers had accidentally taken the medications through contaminated food in a hotel they were staying in.

While five of the tested Chinese swimmers went on to win medals at the Tokyo Olympics, eleven of them are set to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024. USADA along with several other national swimming organizations have called for further investigation into the matter. While WADA did appoint an independent prosecutor for the investigation, he has yet to submit a report.

Michael Phelps, who had testified before Congress seven years ago as well over Russian state-sponsored doping, expressed frustration over WADA's inability to curb these incidents. Claiming that athletes’ faith in the system was declining, Phelps added (via The Guardian):

"As athletes, our faith can no longer be blindly placed in the World Anti-Doping Agency, an organization that continues to prove that it is either incapable or unwilling to enforce its policies consistently around the world."

Phelps heavily criticized WADA for falling short in preventing such incidents, adding that if it continued, the Olympic Games wouldn't exist in the future.

“Honestly, if we continue to let this slide any farther, the Olympic Games might not even be there,” he added.

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Allison Schmitt also joined Michael Phelps to testify about the need for stricter doping measures

Olympic Swimmers Michael Phelps and Alisson Schmitt Testify Before House Panel On Anti-Doping Measures (Image via Getty)

Four-time Olympic champion Allison Schmitt was also present with Michael Phelps during the Congress session at Capitol Hill. She was a part of Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics where the doping alleged Chinese swimmers won medals.

Schmitt claimed that she and other American swimmers followed every protocol at the Tokyo Olympics and accepted their defeats with grace. However, following the doping revelations, Schmitt claimed they would be ‘haunted’ over the podium finishes.

"We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol. We accepted our defeat with grace. Many of us will be haunted by this podium finish that may have been impacted by doping,” she said (via The Guardian).

Earlier, Katie Ledecky had claimed that faith in WADA was at an all-time low.