- Ohtani suffers partial shoulder dislocation in Dodgers win: team
- Rare Sahara floods bring Morocco's dried-up south back to life
- Dodgers down Yankees 4-2 to take 2-0 World Series lead
- Far right tipped to gain ground as jaded Bulgarians vote again
- Dodgers' Ohtani injured in World Series win
- China's second-generation factory owners go digital to combat challenges
- Indonesia bets on SE Asia's first battery plant to become EV hub
- Israel's Netanyahu hoping for Trump triumph
- Powell pours in 37 to spark NBA Clippers over Jokic-led Denver
- Recession-hit Argentina gripped by 'Ponzidemia'
- Sakamoto leads Japanese women's sweep at Skate Canada
- Sainz success shows his class as Ferrari rise above the radar
- Verstappen, Norris set for another duel
- Michelle Obama admits fear over vote result, slams Trump
- Sainz takes pole for Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen
- Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend Skate Canada pairs title
- Lille score twice in stoppage-time to beat Lens after 'extraordinary' week
- Barca in 'flow' state after thrashing Madrid: Flick
- Curfew extended in French Caribbean territory amid power blackout
- Ruling party set to win Georgia election amid opposition protests
- Lille score twice deep in stoppage-time to beat Lens, Brest win
- NASA astronaut released from hospital after return from ISS
- Lewandowski double as Barca shred Madrid in La Liga Clasico
- Floods hit Saint-Tropez as rains lash south of France
- Japan votes with new PM on shaky ground
- Herve Renard completes surprise return as Saudi coach
- Di Lorenzo fires Napoli five points clear, Atalanta hit Verona for six
- Van Graan has 'utmost respect' for Du Toit as Bath go top of Premiership
- Report details fossil fuel threat to 'Amazon of the seas'
- Michelle Obama to boost Harris, as Trump rages against migrants
- Catholic Church assembly acknowledges 'obstacles' for women
- 'Too early' to say Leverkusen out of title race: Alonso
- World champion Malinin grabs men's lead at Skate Canada
- Farrell 'sorry' for second Top 14 yellow in Racing win
- Ruling party set to win Georgian elections
- Piastri, Norris set Mexico practice pace as Verstappen struggles
- Lewis century gifts West Indies consolation victory in Sri Lanka
- Guardiola vows to learn from rock-bottom Southampton after tight win
- Rooney 'angry' despite stunning Plymouth fightback in Preston draw
- Opposition, ruling party both shown ahead in Georgia elections
- Venezuelan prosecutor accuses Lula of faking injury as tensions with Brazil rise
- Draper into Vienna ATP final, ensures career-high ranking
- Farrell opens Top 14 try account in Racing victory, ends game in sin-bin
- Opposition tipped to win narrow majority in Georgia election: exit poll
- Haaland fires Man City to top of Premier League, Villa held
- West Indies set 195 to win rain-hit Sri Lanka ODI
- Leipzig beat Freiburg to go top, Dortmund lose away again
- Shelton downs friend Fils to reach Basel final
- Di Lorenzo fires Napoli past Lecce and five points clear
- Hussain says Pakistan have found 'kryptonite to Bazball' with England series win
Chinese swimmers failed doping tests ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed Saturday, defending the decision to let them compete based on China's findings they had ingested it unknowingly.
The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported Saturday that the athletes included nearly half of the swimming team that China sent to Japan, with several going on to win medals, including gold.
Many are expected to be in contention again at the Paris Olympics this summer.
The Times reported that they tested positive for a prescription heart drug, trimetazidine (TMZ) -- which can enhance performance -- at a domestic meet in late 2020 and the first days of 2021.
But it was determined by Chinese anti-doping authorities that they ingested the substance unwittingly from tainted food and no action against them was warranted.
The newspaper cited a review of confidential documents and emails, including a report compiled by the Chinese anti-doping agency and submitted to its global counterpart WADA.
- 'No fault or negligence' -
It said WADA and swimming's governing body World Aquatics, which at the time was known as FINA, decided not to act due to "a lack of any credible evidence" to challenge China's version of events.
WADA, in a statement on Saturday decrying "some misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week", said that it had "ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to disprove the possibility that contamination was the source of TMZ and it was compatible with the analytical data in the file".
"WADA also concluded that, given the specific circumstances of the asserted contamination, the athletes would be held to have no fault or negligence."
WADA's senior director of science and medicine Olivier Rabin added: "Ultimately, we concluded that there was no concrete basis to challenge the asserted contamination."
World Aquatics confirmed to the Times the cases had been reviewed by a doping control board and were subjected to independent expert scrutiny.
But the United States Anti-Doping Agency said the swimmers should have been suspended and publicly identified, calling WADA's lack of action "a devastating stab in the back of clean athletes".
The organisation's chief executive Travis T. Tygart claimed he had provided WADA with allegations of doping in Chinese swimming multiple times since 2020.
WADA said that "the information provided to us by USADA and others was reviewed on each occasion in line with our normal procedure, and assessed according to the criteria stipulated within our Confidential Source Policy".
"The data held by us clearly showed that there had been no attempt to hide the positive tests as they had been reported in the usual way by the Chinese authorities. Therefore, based on the available information and a lack of any credible evidence, the threshold for WADA I&I (Intelligence and Investigations Department) to open an investigation was not met."
- 'Crushing' news -
Tygart called the news of the failed tests "crushing".
"It's even more devastating to learn the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly, until now, swept these positives under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world," Tygart said in an USADA statement on Saturday.
"Our hearts ache for the athletes from the countries who were impacted by this potential cover-up and who may have lost podium moments, financial opportunities, and memories with family that can never be replaced.
"All of those with dirty hands in burying positive tests and suppressing the voices of courageous whistleblowers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the rules and law."
WADA later lashed out at Tygart claiming his remarks were "outrageous, completely false and defamatory".
"Mr. Tygart should realise that it is not only American athletes who can fall victim to situations of no-fault contamination," WADA said, adding that "following Mr. Tygart’s false allegations, WADA has no choice but to refer this matter to its legal counsel for further action."
Tygart promptly hit back, calling it "disappointing to see WADA stoop to threats and scare tactics when confronted with a blatant violation of the rules governing anti-doping."
Tygart said USADA had long advocated for a change in rules regarding accidental contamination cases but said that TMZ was not among the substances that can cause such contamination.
He added that in investigating potential contamination cases USADA followed anti-doping rules including the issuing of provisional suspensions and disqualification of results pending the outcome of cases.
"Transparency is the key to shining the light in the darkness, and here, by not following the rules, WADA and CHINDA have left clean athletes in the dark," Tygart said.
Chinese swimming has a chequered doping history. Seven Chinese swimmers tested positive for steroids at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.
In 1998, swimmer Yuan Yuan was banned after Australian customs officers discovered a large stash of human growth hormone in her bags at the World Championships in Perth.
More recently, three-time Olympic champion Sun Yang was banned for doping, ruling him out of the Tokyo Olympics.
F.Dubois--AMWN