The case of almost two dozen Chinese swimmers testing positive for banned substances before the Tokyo Olympics has re-emerged with some scathing takes from Michael Phelps.
In April, it came into the spotlight courtesy of The New York Times and the German broadcasting company ARD. They revealed how the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) kept the athletes’ positive results hidden from the public eye.
Now that WADA finally came out with the truth, Phelps has issued a bold statement, as reported by the Associated Press, concerning their verdict of continuing with some of the same athletes for the Paris Olympics. He wants people who test positive for banned substances to get banned immediately.
“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry…I believe one and done.”
Some of the Chinese athletes who failed the test back then, even won medals, with one of them outperforming Katie Ledecky at the time. They ended up with first place at the podium for the 4x200m freestyle, along with a world record.
The situation has sparked widespread discussions about Olympic integrity. Phelps, in particular, strongly criticized those who failed the tests, arguing that cheating in an elite competition like the Olympics should face severe consequences.
He recalled his own experience of facing constant scrutiny, undergoing weekly doping tests to ensure clean results, and providing reassurance to the public. He firmly believed that if he could stay clean throughout his career and still win 23 Olympic gold medals, others could certainly avoid prohibited substances.
This, he felt, was crucial for maintaining fair competition – a standard he feared was not being upheld in both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. His concerns were not unfounded.
“If everybody is not going through that same testing, I have a serious problem because it means the level of sport is not fair, and it’s not even…If you’re taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here.”
Before the Tokyo Olympics, 23 Chinese swimmers had failed anti-doping tests. However, they were still allowed to compete after Chinese officials claimed that contaminated spices in hotel food had resulted in traces of banned heart medication in their tests.
Both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and World Aquatics accepted this explanation, keeping the case confidential and allowing the swimmers to participate.
Now, with 11 of those swimmers competing in the Paris Olympics, many athletes worldwide are questioning the fairness of the situation. This ongoing controversy has only deepened his worries about the integrity of the Olympic competition.
