Sawt Falasteen - World Aquatics to strengthen testing of Chinese swimmers at Olympics

In April, the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) at a domestic competition in 2021 -- shortly before the Tokyo Olympics.

Chinese anti-doping authorities determined they had ingested the substance unwittingly from tainted food at their hotel and no action against them was warranted.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the argument of the Chinese authorities and did not sanction the swimmers, 11 of whom have been selected for the Paris Olympics which start this month.

The tests at the Games will be carried out by the International Test Agency (ITA).

"A certain number of athletes from specific nations will be tested four times by the ITA (in addition to their own NADO testing) between 1 January 2024 and the opening of the Olympic Games Paris 2024," a report from the Anti-Doping Audit Review Committee of World Aquatics said.

"A certain number of other athletes, including Chinese athletes taking part in the Paris Olympic Games, will be tested by the ITA no less than 8 times during this same period.

"The ITA will use its best efforts to have all such tests of Chinese athletes conducted by a Sample Collection Authority other than CHINADA, and to have the samples analysed by laboratories outside of China," it added.

World Aquatics' review committee backed the global governing body's treatment of the incident.

"The Committee has not identified any irregularities, mismanagement or cover‐up by FINA (now known as World Aquatics) in its review of the TMZ Case or in its decision not to appeal the CHINADA decisions in that case," it said.

"The process and procedure followed by FINA in 2021 was in accordance with both the operating procedures of FINA at that time, generally accepted operating procedures of other International Federations, and its obligations under the World Anti‐Doping Code."

WADA welcomed the changes, with the first aquatics events at the Paris Games taking place on July 27.

"Following on from the positive findings of an Independent Prosecutor's review into WADA's handling of these cases, this is a further report that details how the correct procedures were followed under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code," a WADA spokesperson said.

"WADA is pleased that another review has found no evidence of wrongdoing by the international anti-doping authorities as it relates to these cases.

"As always, we will look carefully at the Committee's recommendations for how the applicable rules can be further strengthened and we will consider them as part of the ongoing Code and International Standards update."

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST