Few athletes will be as scrutinized at the Paris Olympics as China’s swimmers.
Revelations that nearly two dozen elite Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games — and were allowed to compete without consequences — have raised concerns around the world about the seriousness of anti-doping efforts in a sport that has seen its share of scandals over the decades.
From the systematic East German state-sponsored program of the 1970s and 1980s to an earlier Chinese doping ring in the 1990s, to questions about Irish star Michelle Smith at the Atlanta Olympics and positive tests among Russian swimmers, it all sounds familiar to those who have been following the pool for a while.
“There are cheaters all over the world. I have no doubt about that,” said Rowdy Gaines, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and now an NBC Sports commentator. “When it becomes systemic, that’s a whole other issue.”
Prominent figures such as Katie Ledecky, winner of more individual swimming medals than any other woman, and Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with an impressive 23 gold medals, have both gone public with their complaints about a system that appears to have dropped the ball in a very clear case.
“I’ve moved on to the next chapter of my life,” said Phelps, who retired after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. “But it’s imperative that we keep the book open for those who want to be next.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency has closed the files of 23 elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart drug ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Five of those swimmers won medals, including three golds.
The positive test results were kept secret until they were revealed in April by The New York Times and German television network ARD. The Times also revealed that three of the swimmers had previously tested positive for another banned substance, again without consequence.
WADA accepted the Chinese anti-doping authorities’ explanation that its athletes had ingested the banned substance through contaminated food at a hotel. World Aquatics, swimming’s governing body, accepted that decision.
“It should have been handled differently, out of respect for the world of swimming and sport as a whole,” said Italian swimmer Nicolò Martinenghi. “The situation needs to be resolved.”
With 11 swimmers testing positive ahead of the Tokyo Games and set to compete again in Paris, criticism of the world’s anti-doping regulator has only grown.
“If the integrity of international sport continues to be undermined by WADA’s failures, the next generation will no longer be able to have the same confidence in the system that I have,” Phelps said in recent testimony before the U.S. Congress. “That’s why I urge you, members of Congress, to step up to the plate in the fight against doping. We can uphold the values, fairness and integrity that are the cornerstones of Olympic and Paralympic sport.”
The United States has launched a criminal investigation into China’s handling of doping cases. Brent Nowicki, the executive director of World Aquatics, has been subpoenaed to appear before Congress. World Aquatics said Monday that Chinese swimmers heading to Paris will be subject to increased doping tests at least eight times this year before the Games.
But all this comes too late to compensate for the loss of medals for those who may have been deprived of medals in Tokyo.
Consider Ledecky, who ran a superb 4×200-meter freestyle relay leg to finish with a time that would have broken the previous world record, only to see a Chinese team including Zhang Yufei go four-tenths of a second faster to win both gold and the world record. Zhang was among those who failed the pre-Olympic drug test.
Ledecky now knows what it must have felt like for a swimmer like Shirley Babashoff, nicknamed “Surly Shirley” for complaining about the sudden surge of East Germans at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, especially when her suspicions proved correct.
“It’s hard to accept as an athlete, and now also to feel what it’s like to be an athlete who won a (silver) medal behind some athletes who tested positive,” Ledecky told CBS. “I’ve seen it before with other athletes and I’ve always had compassion for them.”
The doping revelations will certainly cast a shadow over the swimming competition in Paris, especially if the Chinese perform well.
The Chinese finished fourth in the medal table at the Tokyo Games with three golds and six medals overall, and they are coming off a stellar showing at the 2024 world championships in Doha, Qatar, with seven golds and 11 medals overall. China trailed only the United States at that meet, although it should be noted that many top swimmers skipped the last world championships due to their unusual timing in an Olympic year.
“It’s disappointing to have this kind of distraction around the Olympics again,” said Tim Hinchey, executive director of USA Swimming.
But this is nothing new for the sport.
“This has happened over and over again,” Hinchey said. “So it’s disappointing.”
___
AP sports writer Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed to this report.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
