Olympic Swimmers Call for WADA Accountability

Two of America’s most decorated Olympic swimmers, Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt, are set to testify before Congress on the need to hold the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accountable for its failure to properly address allegations of cheating by elite Chinese athletes.

Concerns Over Chinese Swimmers’ Doping Allegations

In their prepared testimony for a House subcommittee, Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist, and Schmitt, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, expressed concerns over the uncertainty regarding whether Chinese swimmers have been using banned substances. This uncertainty is seen as unjust to competitors preparing for the upcoming Summer Games in Paris.

The testimony follows a report by The New York Times revealing that Chinese antidoping authorities and WADA chose not to penalize 23 elite Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a banned substance in early 2021. This decision allowed the swimmers to participate in the Tokyo Olympics later that year.

Chinese officials attributed the positive tests to accidental contamination and claimed the presence of minimal amounts of the banned substance. While WADA accepted this explanation, many ant-doping experts have raised doubts about the validity of the findings.

Schmitt, a member of the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay team that finished second to China in Tokyo, highlighted the frustration felt by athletes who followed all protocols and still faced defeat against competitors with questionable doping records.