BEIJING, Aug. 7, 2024
/CNW/ -- The swimmers from Team China in the 2024 Paris Olympic
Games have been exposed to a plethora of anti-doping tests, and no
violations have been found, despite accusations circulating in some
media outlets.
The fact is that Chinese swimmers are the most tested athletes
for the pool in Paris.
The total number of tests on the Chinese swimming team has
exceeded 600 since January 2024, with
each swimmer having been tested approximately 21 times, while their
major rivals have been tested on average four to six times,
according to official statistics from World Aquatics released on
July 23. World Aquatics is the
international federation recognized by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in
water sports.
"They are fully tested," according to Mark Adams, communications director of the IOC,
at a press conference on August
2.
Some of the tests were conducted just to provide "peace of mind"
to the rest of the athletes, said Pau
Gasol, an IOC member and two-time NBA champion.
"Multiple times in the early hours of the day and night, it's
not easy for the athletes, especially because it disrupts rest,
training, and other schedules," Gasol noted.
"As an athlete, I appreciate the cooperation of the Chinese
swimmers in this case," Gasol said. "Hopefully, this will not
happen more often to any other athletes from other countries."
Testing found no violations
The intensive testing on Team China "is a good way to prove its
clarity," Dong Jun, a sports
commentator based in Beijing, told
CGTN. "The result will speak for everything."
Some media reports cited the positive test results of 23 Chinese
swimmers back in 2021, seven months before the Tokyo Olympics.
However, an investigation showed that the swimmers took the banned
substances by accidentally eating contaminated food, an occurrence
not so uncommon across the globe.
"There were no infringements or violations of the anti-doping
rules [in this case]," said David Lappartient, member of the
Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Lappartient, who is also an IOC member and the president of the
French National Olympic and Sports Committee, told CGTN that was
"clearly the conclusion" of WADA and the independent prosecutors
involved.
"There is no reason to doubt WADA's position regarding this
case," Lappartient said.
China's anti-doping efforts
China has been striving with
its anti-doping work. The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said
on July 25 that they will work with
all related parties to ensure the integrity of global anti-doping
governance.
This stance was echoed by the country's foreign ministry. The
ministry's spokesperson Lin Jian
said in June that the Chinese government takes a "zero-tolerance"
attitude toward doping, strictly complies with the World
Anti-Doping Code, and resolutely safeguards athletes' health and
fair play in sports.
Anti-doping is also an important part of China's blueprint for sports development
during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). The blueprint
involves upgrading the anti-doping system, revising related laws,
and developing innovative technologies for drug detection.
Link: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-08-06/Green-light-for-Chinese-swimmers-over-600-tests-zero-violations-1vQBLaIz41a/p.html
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-clean-bill-of-health-for-chinese-swimmers-over-600-tests-zero-violations-302216251.html
SOURCE CGTN