At the Paris Olympics, the Chinese swimming team is under suspicion following a history of doping allegations.

A recent report revealed that two top Chinese swimmers tested positive for potent steroids in 2022. Despite these findings, the Chinese anti-doping agency cleared the athletes, and one of the swimmers was subsequently selected to compete in the Paris Olympics.

On July 30, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) released a statement confirming that Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned substance metandienone in a 2022 test and were temporarily suspended.

WADA also noted that in early 2023, two other athletes—a BMX rider and a shooter—who were not part of the Chinese delegation to Paris tested positive for trace amounts of the same prohibited substance. The agency said there was “no evidence to challenge” the Chinese agency’s findings and closed the case.

On July 31, in response to allegations, Chinese anti-doping authorities defended their athletes. They attributed the positive tests to “contaminated hamburgers.”

This marks the third occasion in recent years where the Chinese national swimming team has cited food contamination to explain failed doping tests.

The handling of these cases has sparked a crossfire of accusations between the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and WADA.

USADA has accused WADA of misconduct and a lack of transparency in dealing with the Chinese cases, suggesting a cover-up. WADA, in turn, has accused USADA of politicizing the issue, asserting that the criticisms are motivated by political interests rather than concerns about sports integrity.

During the Paris swimming events on the evening of July 28, Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei won a bronze medal in the women’s 100m butterfly. Meanwhile, Qin Haiyang underperformed. He lost his rhythm in the second half of the men’s 100m breaststroke final and dropped dramatically from first to seventh place—his worst result in more than two years.

Following these events, former Chinese Olympic springboard diver Gao Min posted on Weibo, suggesting that the intense scrutiny under frequent doping tests disrupted the Chinese athletes’ preparation.

“The seven doping tests per day were disruptive,” Gao stated. Her post garnered significant attention, echoing sentiments among netizens that Chinese athletes were disproportionately targeted.

Zhang said that the Chinese swimmers underwent 20 to 30 doping tests in the two months leading up to the Olympics, amounting to three to four tests weekly. Additionally, Yu Liang, a team nutritionist, said that during their 10-day stay in France, the 31-member team underwent nearly 200 tests conducted by international doping agencies.

In an interview with The Epoch Times on Aug. 1, former Chinese national team swimmer Huang Xiaomin, who won a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, criticized the historical approach to doping among Chinese athletes and claimed that evading tests used to be commonplace.

“Previously, testing was only done during competitions, but now athletes ranked in the top 10 to 20 globally are subject to random testing anytime, anywhere. The shift from urine to blood tests represents a significant challenge for those previously reliant on performance-enhancing drugs,” Ms. Huang said.

“For Chinese athletes, this is a major blow because using banned substances had become as routine as eating.”

“Without performance-enhancing drugs, dominating the world in swimming has become impossible for them. Other explosive sports like gymnastics and track and field also involve doping. During our time, it was mandatory for track and field and swimming athletes. It was just a matter of dosage,” she added.

Chinese Swimmers 2021 Doping Scandal

Seven months prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a significant doping scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers came to light. These athletes, who constituted nearly half of China’s swimming delegation to Tokyo, tested positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ)—a substance that enhances stamina, endurance, and recovery—during a domestic event in late 2020 and early 2021.

China’s anti-doping agency concluded that the athletes had unwittingly consumed the banned substance, which was purportedly found in the food at their hotel.

The WADA accepted the findings from the investigation led by China.

This conclusion led to no further action against the athletes, permitting their participation and subsequent medal wins at the Tokyo Olympics, including double gold medalist Zhang Yufei.

This decision by WADA was met with controversy.

U.S. officials and doping experts have expressed concerns, suggesting that the swimmers should have faced suspensions or at least been identified pending a more thorough investigation. However, the Chinese sports authorities, the International Swimming Federation, and WADA have maintained their stance.

Extensive Doping in Chinese Sports: Whistleblower

In 2017, Xue Yinxian, a former doctor for China’s national sports teams and a noted figure in sports medicine in China, sought asylum abroad with 68 work journals detailing the systemic use of performance-enhancing drugs in Chinese sports. These journals, which have since been compiled into a book by her son, Yang Weidong, trace the origins of doping in China back to 1978.

According to Xue, during a pivotal meeting on Oct. 11, 1978, Chen Xian, the deputy director of the National Sports Commission, openly advocated for the use of performance-enhancing drugs to compete internationally, marking the beginning of widespread doping within Chinese sports. This initiative coincided with a period of severe resource scarcity in China following the Cultural Revolution.

Athletes from various disciplines, including ping pong, weightlifting, track and field, and swimming, were some of the first to be administered banned substances.

Notable athletes, such as Lang Ping from the women’s volleyball team, experienced adverse effects ranging from unexplained headaches to abnormal sports injuries. Other side effects included severe liver damage, brittle bones, and cancer.

Xin Ning contributed to this report.