China calls swimmer doping reports ‘fake news’

Beijing on Monday called reports about 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 “fake news”.

“The relevant reports are fake news and not factual,” said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

The sport was rocked in the weekend by revelations that the Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) — a prescription heart drug that is banned in athletes because it can enhance performance — before the Games three years ago.

The swimmers were allowed to compete in Tokyo after world governing bodies accepted China’s findings that they had ingested it unwittingly from food during a meet in late 2020 and early 2021.

Several swimmers went on to win medals, including gold, and many are in line to compete at the Paris Olympics this summer.

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World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said there was “a lack of any credible evidence” to challenge China’s version of events.

“I believe you will also have noted that the World Anti-Doping Agency has put out a very clear response,” Wang said.

“After an in-depth and detailed investigation of this incident by the China anti-doping centre in 2021, it was determined that the relevant athletes had ingested contaminated drugs without their knowledge,” Wang said.

“The Chinese swimmers involved were neither at fault nor guilty of negligence, and their behaviour did not constitute a doping violation.

“After an investigation, WADA affirmed the findings of the China anti-doping centre.”

An Australian coach who works with the Chinese Swimming Association also rejected claims of systemic state-run doping, saying it is “so far from anything I have seen”.

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Denis Cotterell, who steered Australian Grant Hackett to multiple Olympic golds and also coached drug-tainted Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, told The Sydney Morning Herald he disputed “any suggestion of anything orchestrated”.

Wang said: “I also want to emphasise here that the Chinese government consistently upholds a resolutely zero-tolerance position when it comes to doping.

“We strictly adhere to the (relevant) global provisions and resolutely protect the physical and mental health of athletes.

“We uphold fair competition in sports events and have made active contributions to the global fight against doping.”