China's Olympic doping scandal ferments, US summons FINA to testify

The news that a large number of Chinese swimmers tested positive for stimulants before the last Olympics has led to a criminal investigation by the US government. On Friday, there was further progress in the case.

The incident involving Chinese swimmers using stimulants has fermented, and China has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the investigation
WADA to launch independent review after Chinese swimmers mistakenly took banned drugs
According to AFP on July 5, the World Aquatics Federation (formerly known as the International Swimming Federation) confirmed that the organization's executive director Brent Nowicki has been summoned to the United States and will testify on the incident of Chinese athletes testing positive for stimulants.

According to international media reports, as many as 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine before the Tokyo Olympics in January 2021. However, the World Aquatics Federation and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted China's explanation that the food was contaminated and allowed Chinese athletes to continue to participate. Among these athletes are Zhang Yufei, who won the gold medals in the women's 200m butterfly and 4x200 freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics, and Wang Shun, the men's 200m medley champion.

Until the New York Times and other media exposed the incident in April this year, the two international organizations still refused to accept the case on the grounds of insufficient rebuttal evidence or the epidemic. In May this year, the U.S. House of Representatives' Special Committee on China's Issues asked the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the case under a federal law on stimulant conspiracy.

The World Aquatics Federation stressed on Friday that its chief executive was "only asked to testify as a witness" before any U.S. action could be taken, while the World Anti-Arousal Agency told the Associated Press it was "disappointed" that the U.S. had launched a criminal investigation into the case.

It is reported that 11 of the 23 swimmers who tested positive for stimulants will represent China again in the Paris Olympics. This incident has undoubtedly cast a shadow on China's image as a "sports power" that is keen on pursuing gold medals.