The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) are at odds again following new reports that more Chinese athletes, including swimmers at the Paris Olympics, have been exempted from testing by using tainted meat as a defense.
In a separate case from a doping investigation involving 23 Chinese swimmers that was uncovered in April, The New York Times reported that swimmers Tang Muhan and He Junyi both tested positive for the drug after eating French fries, Coca-Cola and hamburgers at a Beijing restaurant in October 2022.
But the China Anti-Doping Agency later ruled that the steroids came from tainted meat in the burgers and cleared the two athletes. Tang will represent China in the relay on Thursday.
WADA confirmed that two swimmers had tested positive for “trace amounts” of methandienone in October 2022 but said this was part of a wider range of positive cases linked to meat contamination in China.
“The Chinada investigation included testing hundreds of meat samples from various sources, with dozens testing positive for methandienone,” Wada said. “Chinada also analyzed the athletes’ nutritional supplements and conducted hair tests, which all came back negative. Notably, both athletes submitted negative doping samples in the days before and after the single positive test.”
Usada reacted angrily to the statement, accusing WADA of allowing China to “play under different rules that give it an advantage.”
“There is mounting evidence that the system is not working,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. “WADA has allowed China to play by its own rules and the public has lost faith in Olympic values.”
“Not only does China’s cover-up of positive tests for a powerful steroid tarnish the reputation of the upcoming swimming relay, but coming so soon after WADA covered up the positive tests of 23 swimmers, these failures have robbed the hopes and dreams of clean athletes.”
WADA hit back, accusing the US of trying to discredit the organisation by implying wrongdoing. “The politicisation of Chinese swimming continues with the latest attempt by US media to implicate WADA and anti-doping organisations in wrongdoing,” it said in a statement.
“As we have seen in recent months, WADA has been unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers, in which it has no mandate.”
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WADA acknowledged it was concerned some athletes would use tainted meat as an excuse: “This issue raises again the broader issue of contamination, particularly food contamination, which clearly has problems with contamination in several countries around the world, judging by the number of cases.”
“Outside of China in particular, there have been several such cases in the United States in the past few months alone, where very complex contamination scenarios have been tolerated. The ongoing review of the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards will be an opportunity to consider possible solutions to this ongoing problem for clean sport.”
