The New York Times reports that, according to Chinese authorities, Chinese swimmers died from trimetazidine. According to the Chinese, a prohibited substance had entered the body unintentionally.
New York Times newsthat 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, even though they had given a positive doping sample before the Games.
The positive doping samples had been given at the national games in China seven months before the games in December-January 2021. The matter was not disclosed to the public.
Chinese swimmers were sick of trimetazidine. It is originally a drug originally developed for heart diseases, which can be used in sports to influence the metabolism of the heart muscle. The substance is not on the Finnish pharmaceutical market. It has been on the list of prohibited substances since 2014.
Trimetazidine has become familiar to sports followers from the Russian figure skater who won gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 Kamila Valieva about the case.
Trimetazidine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s WADA list of prohibited substances since 2014.
The American doping boss was dismayed
According to the Chinese authorities, trimetazidine had accidentally entered the body of Chinese athletes in small amounts. That’s why they weren’t punished.
The New York Times article reports that, according to Chinese researchers, trimetazidine had been found in the kitchen of the competition hotel. The Chinese authorities had reported on the observation two months after the Games in spring 2021. The report did not elaborate on how the trimetazidine had ended up in the kitchen.
Director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency Travis Tygart was dismayed by the doping news.
– This looks like a crushing stab in the back of clean athletes. It’s a big fraud on all athletes who compete fairly and follow the rules, Tygart said.
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency Wada, they had studied the explanation of the Chinese authorities, but could not find a solid basis to challenge the Chinese research. The international swimming federation FINA also said that it believes that the matter has been investigated carefully, professionally and in accordance with the anti-doping regulations.
The independent testing organization International Testing Agency ITA, meanwhile, told the New York Times that its investigations into the matter continue. China’s anti-doping agency responded to the New York Times that it had assessed that the swimmers had not violated anti-doping laws and were therefore under no obligation to release any information about the incidents without the athletes’ permission.
China was represented at the Tokyo Olympics by 30 swimmers. They won six medals, three of which were gold. According to the New York Times, a two-time Olympic champion is among those who got upset Zhang Yufeiwho is expected to compete for medals at the Paris Olympics this summer as well.
Sources: AP, Daily Herald, New York Times