"වාඩා ආයතනයේ ප්‍රකාශය විශ්වසනීයයි"

China has not violated anti-doping rules: WADA

The statement by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that China has not violated anti-doping rules is credible, and there is no reason to doubt it, said a WADA member on Monday.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Chinese swimming team delivered a historic performance, securing two gold, three silver, and seven bronze medals, along with one world record. However, this success has drawn scrutiny from some Western media outlets.

The New York Times reported recently that two Chinese swimmers tested positive for metandienone, a banned steroid, in 2022, but had their provisional suspensions lifted, and suggested that the Chinese anti-doping authorities covered up the doping incident. This report has led to multiple U.S. media outlets such as the Associated Press quoting and referencing it.

The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) and the WADA have both provided comprehensive explanations that legitimize their handling of these cases.

The CHINADA acted swiftly by provisionally suspending the athletes pending thorough investigation, which concluded in late 2023. The probe found that the positive results were a consequence of the inadvertent ingestion of tainted food, clearing the athletes of any wrongdoing.

The World Anti-Doping Agency corroborated CHINADA's findings, stating that multiple tests and extensive investigation, including the analysis of food samples and nutritional supplements, supported the conclusion that meat contamination had caused the positive tests.

WADA has made multiple statements on this matter, saying that the determination remains unchanged "in the face of the incomplete and misleading news reports."

A WADA member, David Lappartient told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that China has not violated any anti-doping rules, which is the clear conclusion of WADA, without a doubt.

"For me, it's clear that we trust the WADA. So, the WADA, they have been, of course, in touch with the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency. And we trust, we know there can be contamination that are not on a voluntary basis. We know this can happen. So, we completely and fully trust what the statement from the WADA, that there were no infringement to the no violation of the anti-doping rules. So that was clearly the conclusion of the WADA, also with independent prosecutors and so on. And so, we believe that the WADA is a very strong organization, well organized, that we can trust. And so, there is no reason to doubt about the WADA's position regarding this case," he said.

WADA also pointed out in its statement that the latest attempt by some U.S. media to imply wrongdoing on the part of WADA and the broader anti-doping community demonstrated the continued politicization of anti-doping. WADA has been unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers, it said.

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