China's (R) and South Korea's swimmers react during the final of the men's 4X200m freestyle relay swimming event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships at Aspire Dome in Doha on February 16, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that twenty-three Chinese swimmers were found to have traces of a banned substance before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Despite this, they were allowed to compete because China reported that they had unintentionally consumed the substance.
On Saturday, The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD revealed that almost half of the Chinese swimming team sent to Japan, including some who went on to win medals, including gold, were among the athletes who tested positive for the banned substance.
Numerous athletes who were involved in the incident are anticipated to be competing again at the upcoming Paris Olympics this summer
According to The Times, the athletes tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a prescription heart medication known to enhance performance, during a domestic competition in late 2020 and the early days of 2021.
Chinese anti-doping authorities concluded that the athletes unintentionally ingested the substance from contaminated food, and therefore, no disciplinary action was taken against them.
The newspaper referenced a review of confidential documents and emails, which included a report compiled by the Chinese anti-doping agency and submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
WADA also determined that, considering the specific circumstances surrounding the alleged contamination, the athletes would not be held responsible for any fault or negligence.
