WADA criticizes US investigations into Chinese swimmers case

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has expressed its disappointment that the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance is now being investigated by the US Department of Justice.

In a statement late Thursday, WADA said the organization was “disappointed by the news that the U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating the contamination case of 23 swimmers in China in 2021.”

“At this time, WADA has not received any contact or request from U.S. law enforcement authorities.”

Over a month ago, a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate the case because it raised ethical and competition concerns, among other things.

The basis of the investigation is the so-called Rodchenkov Act, named after the Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who uncovered the state-sponsored doping system in Russia during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and fled to the USA.

It enables American law enforcement authorities to take action against those behind doping offenses at international competitions.

WADA was critical: “The public reports of this investigation confirm the concerns that have been widely expressed in the international community about the passage of the Rodchenkov Act. With this law, the United States seeks to exercise extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction over participants in the global anti-doping system.”

In the Chinese case, German broadcaster ARD, the New York Times and Australia’s Daily Telegraph revealed that the 23 swimmers had tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine in early 2021.

China’s anti-doping agency CHINADA had not imposed any sanctions and said the positive tests were due to contamination in the kitchen of the hotel where the two had stayed.

WADA and the swimming governing body said they had closed their investigations because it was not possible to challenge the Chinese version and several athletes competed in the Tokyo Olympics later in 2021.

WADA had come under criticism for its stance, but reiterated on Thursday that it had “carefully examined the Chinese swimmer’s file, consulted scientific and legal experts and ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to challenge the contamination scenario, so an appeal was not justified.”

“Guided by scientific evidence and expert consultation, we stand by this good faith decision despite the incomplete and misleading news reports on which this investigation appears to be based.”