In the wake of the doping scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has commissioned an independent prosecutor to investigate their handling of the incidents. The authority also announced on Thursday that it would send a “compliance team” to China to assess “the current status of the country’s anti-doping program.”
“In recent days, Wada has been wrongly accused of being biased in favor of China,” said Wada President Witold Banka: “We continue to reject the false accusations and are pleased to have placed these questions in the hands of an experienced, respected and… independent public prosecutor.” Former Swiss public prosecutor Eric Cottier is supposed to investigate the incidents. According to Wada, he should be given “full and unrestricted” access to all files and documents relating to the case. He is also free to consult independent experts. Cottier should present the first results within two months.
Research by the ARD doping editorial team and the New York Times had questioned the credibility of China’s anti-doping system and WADA’s watchdog role. Accordingly, 23 top Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine before the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo and were not sanctioned. WADA believes China’s national anti-doping agency and the Chinese authorities, whose investigation claims to have revealed contamination in a hotel kitchen with the heart drug. Because of the Covid pandemic, WADA did not send its own team of investigators to the country.
After the publication of the research, Travis Tygart, the head of the US Anti-Doping Authority, was particularly critical, calling for a “real investigation” and a “general overhaul of WADA”. The current case has once again shown how the global anti-doping system is failing athletes.