Olympic champion swimmers inform Congress that U.S. athletes have lost trust in the anti-doping regulator
Gold medalists Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt delivered prepared testimony before a House subcommittee on Tuesday.
U.S. Olympic athletes have lost confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to effectively combat cheating in sports, as stated by two former gold medalists, Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt, in their prepared testimony before a House subcommittee on Tuesday. Their remarks come ahead of next month’s Summer Games in Paris and follow recent revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still permitted to compete by WADA. Five of these swimmers won medals, including three golds.
Schmitt expressed her disillusionment, saying, “We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol.
**U.S. Olympic athletes have lost confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to effectively combat cheating in sports, as stated by two former gold medalists, Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt, in their prepared testimony before a House subcommittee on Tuesday. Their remarks come ahead of next month’s Summer Games in Paris and follow recent revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still permitted to compete by WADA. Five of these swimmers won medals, including three golds.**
Schmitt expressed her disillusionment, saying, “We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol. We respected their performance and accepted our defeat. But now, learning that the Chinese relay consisted of athletes who had not served a suspension, I look back with doubt. We may never know the truth, and that may haunt many of us for years.”
Phelps echoed similar sentiments, voicing frustration that no significant changes had occurred since his testimony before the same subcommittee seven years ago about WADA’s handling of Russian state-sponsored doping. “Sitting here once again, it is clear to me that any attempts at reform at WADA have fallen short, and there are still deeply rooted, systemic problems that prove detrimental to the integrity of international sports and athletes’ right to fair competition, time and time again,” Phelps said.
WADA accepted the conclusion of Chinese anti-doping officials that the 23 athletes had ingested the banned substance through contaminated food at a hotel. However, independent anti-doping experts have questioned this finding, with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart calling it “outrageous.” WADA stated that Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in China prevented an “on the ground probe” of the positive tests and concluded that it could not disprove Chinese authorities’ explanation.
In response to the criticism, WADA appointed an independent investigator, Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, to review its handling of the China case. Cottier was appointed on April 25 and was expected to deliver his findings within two months. However, his appointment angered critics who pointed out his potential conflicts of interest.
The United States contributes more funding to WADA than any other country, providing nearly $3.7 million this year. China has given WADA $1.8 million more than its required dues since 2018, Tygart noted in his testimony.