During an almost two-hour long “Zoom” meeting on Monday 22 April, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) responded to the criticism. In particular, she explained in detail her decision not to sanction swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a few months before the Tokyo Olympics, postponed until July 2021 due to Covid.
The swimmers were not suspended because an investigation by Chinese authorities concluded that the positive tests were the result of accidental exposure to the substance through contamination.
Travis Tygart (USA) furious
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency regretted that positive athletes were not disqualified. “This situation is a tragedy for clean athletes worldwideTravis Tygart said Reuters. Clean athletes look at this system and are frustrated and upset that a number of athletes at this level can test positive for a drug like this and the Chinese state can make this excuse, which is then approved by the global regulatory authority. »
ALSO READ. Swimming. WADA sees “no credible evidence” of cheating by Chinese swimmers who tested positive
USADA also indicated that several American athletes are calling for an investigation and an investigation following these revelations. WADA admitted that it had not carried out its own investigation on the ground and had relied on the report by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada). Travis Tygart condemned China as “an authoritarian government, with its secret security system that provided means of defense such as those [les responsables de l’AMA] don’t ask”.
The AMA has threatened to take legal action against Travis Tygart’s various comments that they consider defamatory. Head of USADA “would be happy” that justice intervenes to find out why WADA decided “to cover up the affair”.
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