World Anti-Doping Agency “disappointed” by US investigation into Chinese doping case

MONTREAL – The World Anti-Doping Agency said it was “disappointed” at the news that a criminal investigation had been launched in the United States into the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who were allowed to continue competing in 2021 despite testing positive for a banned substance.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday that U.S. investigators had launched an investigation into the case and asked a senior official of the International Swimming Federation to testify as a witness.

This could be the most spectacular application yet of a US federal law passed in 2020 that allows investigations into alleged doping conspiracies even if they took place outside the United States.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency is disappointed to learn that the U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating the contamination case of 23 swimmers in China in 2021,” WADA said in a statement. “At this time, WADA has not received any contact or request from U.S. law enforcement authorities.”

A China committee of the U.S. House of Representatives asked the Justice Department and the FBI on May 21 to investigate the case under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2020. The law is named after a whistleblower who exposed state-sponsored doping in Russia.

WADA said the investigation reports “confirm the concerns expressed widely by the international community” about the Rodchenkov Act.

WADA had previously criticized the law, warning of the risk of the law overstepping the authority that the US federal authorities would be given. The International Olympic Committee has also expressed concerns.

The 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned heart drug in January 2021, but were allowed to continue competing. Some of them won medals at the Tokyo Olympics later that year. Eleven of them are part of the Chinese swimming team heading to the Paris Olympics.

Chinese anti-doping authorities attributed the positive tests to contaminated food and said traces of the substance were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the team was staying.

WADA accepted the theory and repeatedly defended its handling of the case, which only became public this year through reports by the New York Times and ARD.

“WADA has carefully reviewed the Chinese swimmer’s case file, consulted scientific and legal experts and ultimately concluded that it does not have the capacity to contest the contamination scenario and therefore an appeal is not warranted,” the agency said in a statement. “Guided by scientific evidence and expert consultations, we stand by this decision, which was made in good faith, in light of the incomplete and misleading news reports on which this investigation appears to be based.”

The international swimming association World Aquatics confirmed to AP on Thursday that its executive director Brent Nowicki has been subpoenaed to testify in the US investigation.

“He is working to arrange a meeting with the government that will most likely eliminate the need for grand jury testimony,” World Aquatics said in a statement.

When asked for comment, the FBI said that, in keeping with its usual practice, it “neither confirms nor denies the existence of an investigation.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games