American regulator Travis Tygart accuses the World Anti-Doping Agency of “allowing” Chinese authority to cover up illegal drug-taking by top swimmers.
Chinese drug cheats and officials willing to turn a blind eye threaten to make the Paris 2024 Olympics a “train wreck,” the top U.S. anti-doping regulator said.
Travis Tygart’s trenchant remarks cast another shadow over Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s ongoing visit to France where he is meeting President Emmanuel Macron, less than three months before the Olympics begin.
Last month, The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD published a bombshell investigation revealing 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for prohibited drugs before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but were still permitted to take part in the Games, with several winning medals.
As if our athletes aren’t doing the same sort of things…in principle that’s a great stance to take, but there’s still plenty of American athletes caught using PEDs every year in professional sports. It’d be silly to assume there’s no one doping in Olympic sports.
US athletes are not testing positive and still allowed to compete. The cheating by individuals is expected, the cover up by countries is not.