Chinese swimmers at Paris Olympics deny doping accusations as diplomatic row grows
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Fei Liwei, of China, competes during a heat in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday in Nanterre, France. He's one of 11 Chinese swimmers competing in Paris who face questions over a 2021 sports doping case.Martin Meissner / AP -
Zhang Yufei, of China, competes during a heat in the women's 100-meter butterfly at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday in Nanterre, France.Ashley Landis / AP -
Witold Banka, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, attends a press conference at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Thursday in Paris, France.Michel Euler/AP / AP -
Former Olympic athletes Michael Phelps (left) and Allison Schmitt (right), listen as Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, center, testifies during a Congressional hearing examining Anti-Doping Measures in Advance of the 2024 Olympics, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Washington.Rod Lamkey / AP
NANTERRE, France — Standing in a scrum of reporters Saturday night, after competing in the Olympic 400 meter freestyle final, China's Fei Liwei shrugged off questions about the doping scandal that has embroiled his national team.
"Our Chinese government on our team always tells us we have the clean model and the clean results and our results right now are based on hard work and training," Fei said, speaking through an interpreter.
The 21-year-old from Hangzhou is one of 23 elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2021 ahead of the last Summer Games in Tokyo.
Eleven of those athletes are scheduled to compete in Paris.
Among them is two-time Olympic gold medal winner Zhang Yufei, who also told reporters she rejects the doping claims.
But in comments reported by the AFP news service, Zhang acknowledged the scandal and questions raised by fellow athletes weigh on her.
"I am very worried that my good friends to look at me with colored (suspicious) eyes and they do not want to compete with me," Zhang said.
Positive drug tests, kept quiet
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the lead global organization monitoring drug use by athletes, now acknowledges it kept the 2021 results secret and accepted China's explanation that the positive tests were the result of accidental contamination.
WADA never conducted its own independent investigation and allowed the athletes to continue competing without interruption.
"We believe we are clean," Fei said. "We cooperate on all the tests with WADA. We oppose doping."
His comments came on a day when two other Chinese swimmers who tested positive in 2021 won an Olympic bronze medal in the women's 4-by-100 freestyle relay final.
The women were scheduled to take part in a press conference after their win, but failed to appear.
U.S. faces growing pushback over case
While Chinese athletes face intense scrutiny, the U.S. finds itself facing growing diplomatic pushback from international sports officials - and from official Chinese media.
At issue are American probes into WADA's handling of the case.
Last week, the International Olympic Committee threatened to revoke Salt Lake City's 2034 Winter Games unless the U.S. backs off investigations by the U.S. Congress and the Justice Department.
Ingmar De Vos, an IOC committee member from Belgium said the criminal probe launched by the U.S. Department of Justice is "extremely worrying and basically, for us, unacceptable."
In a press conference in Paris, the head of WADA, Witold Banka, blasted the U.S. and suggested that American athletes are the ones who should be drug-tested more aggressively.
Echoing the IOC's accusation, Banka described U.S. concerns as part of a diplomatic power play designed to give American officials more clout.
"It’s highly incorrect that one country to impose jurisdiction on antidoping decisions on the rest of the world," Banka said.
During the press conference where Banka appeared, Chinese media repeatedly suggested their nation's athletes are being treated unfairly, with more aggressive testing in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics compared with other nations.
U.S. not backing down
WADA officials have said repeatedly that the case was handled properly, while refusing to explain why the test results were kept secret in an apparent break with drug testing protocol.
So far at least, U.S. officials appear unwilling to back down. In a statement sent to NPR, U.S. lawmakers on a House panel probing the China doping scandal said pressure to drop their inquiry was inappropriate.
“It speaks volumes that the IOC would...protect WADA rather than work together to ensure it is fulfilling its mission to protect clean sport," the statement said.
The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, suggested in a statement that diplomatic pressure to drop the case is part of an on-going coverup.
"If WADA has nothing to hide, they would welcome the chance to answer questions, not run and hide," Tygart said. "There are basic unanswered questions of how WADA allowed China to sweep 23 tests under the rug."
Transcript
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
And now to Paris for the Olympic Summer Games. Star U.S. Gymnast Simone Biles looked masterful in her first appearance during a qualifying round, but she was limping and finished the competition with a taped ankle. American swimmers captured the first Olympic gold medal for the U.S. last night, and sports doping is once again center stage. NPR's Brian Mann joins us now from Paris to sort all of this out. Hi, there, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey, Debbie. How are you?
ELLIOTT: I'm good. So let's start with Simone Biles and concerns about her left leg. What do you know?
MANN: Yeah. Well, as you mentioned, she looked incredible today, nearly flawless on the balance beam, a great floor routine. The U.S. easily advanced during this qualifier round. But yeah, Biles had heavy taping near her left ankle, and NPR's sports correspondent Becky Sullivan was there. She says Biles looked stiff and was limping a bit.
The U.S. gymnastics team is downplaying the significance of all this. Biles did complete every routine. Her coach says there's no question at this moment that she'll be ready to compete Tuesday in the finals. But Biles, of course, is the star of these Olympics, so we're going to be watching this really closely.
ELLIOTT: So Team USA got its first gold yesterday in the pool in the men's 4-by-100 freestyle relay. What was the final like?
MANN: It was really exciting. The U.S. led from the outset. But in the final length, the powerful Australian team surged. It was really close, but the American lead held on. Caeleb Dressel touched the wall for the gold medal. It's his eighth Olympic gold medal.
And Debbie, this was a sweet win for the U.S, in part 'cause it came on a day when this U.S.-Australian rivalry in the pool was really intense. Australians won gold over the U.S. silver in the women's 4-by-100 freestyle relay. And Australian Ariarne Titmus - she took gold in the 400 free with America's Katie Ledecky taking bronze.
ELLIOTT: Let's talk about that women's relay. That's where some of these doping concerns have come into focus.
MANN: Yeah, that's right. Four U.S. women in that relay race battled right to the end against the strong Chinese team. The U.S. won silver by just a tenth of a second. And the reason this is watched so closely is that two of those Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances back in 2021 in a case that was kept secret by the World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA.
The scandal over this case has rocked the Olympic world. The Chinese women, Debbie, were expected to appear at a press conference last night to talk about this, but they didn't turn up. Eleven Chinese swimmers in all are implicated in this doping case, and they're competing at these summer games.
ELLIOTT: So no news conference - but I understand that some of China's athletes are speaking publicly for the first time, and you talked with one last night. What did he say?
MANN: Yeah. I was in a scrum of reporters talking with Liwei Fei. He's a top Chinese freestyle swimmer on this list of athletes who tested positive ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Fei said hard work and training are driving the Chinese team's growing success. He said they're tested often. He described the incredible scrutiny they're facing now as unfair. Fei said, we believe we are clean.
ELLIOTT: This doping case has sparked outrage from U.S. officials, but they're also getting some backlash. Why?
MANN: Yeah, that's right. The International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency have turned their anger on American officials. Here in WADA - in Paris, I should say, WADA held a really combative press conference where its president, Witold Banka, told people that U.S. demands for reform are a power grab.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
WITOLD BANKA: It's highly incorrect to - that one country try to impose the jurisdiction on the antidoping decisions to the rest of the world. It keeps the U.S. power.
MANN: But the U.S., Debbie, just isn't likely to back down.
ELLIOTT: We only have a few seconds left, Brian. What should we watch for today?
MANN: Yeah, USA men's basketball team is outplaying Serbia. Women's soccer - the U.S. faces a tough match against Germany. Should be a packed, fun day here.
ELLIOTT: NPR's Brian Mann, part of our team in Paris covering the Summer Olympics. Thank you, Brian.
MANN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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