Washington: Olympic swimming icon Michael Phelps and four-time gold medalist Allison Schmitt spoke on Tuesday to reform the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2021 as Chinese swimming battles a doping scandal.
Phelps and Schmitt made the call as they testified before a House Oversight and Committee hearing in Washington.
Phelps and Schmitt, along with the executive director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Travis Tygart, targeted WADA over the recent revelation that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned heart drug trimethazide (TMZ) in early 2021. .
None of the 23 swimmers were suspended or penalized after WADA accepted the Chinese authorities’ explanation that the result was due to food contamination at their hotel.
A separate revelation published by The New York Times last week revealed that three swimmers, including a Tokyo 2021 Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder, had tested positive for banned substances in previous years.
WADA has denied allegations of collusion by USADA, and China has denied wrongdoing in the matter.
However, Phelps and Schmitt said that when it comes to WADA’s work, the scandal has damaged body confidence among athletes.
Phelps, 38, who won a record 23 gold medals in five Olympics, compared the current situation to 2017, when he last called for WADA reform in 2014 during a hearing before US lawmakers on the Russian doping scandal.
Phelps said his decision to allow Chinese swimmers who failed to qualify for the 2021 Olympics to compete in the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics was influenced by “close friends”.
“Most of them will live with ‘whatever’ for the rest of their lives,” Phelps said.
“As athletes, we cannot turn our eyes to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has consistently shown its inability or unwillingness to implement our policies consistently throughout the world.”
Schmitt was a member of the US 4×200-meter freestyle relay team that won a silver medal in Tokyo, China. The race was one of five Chinese swimmers to medal among 23 who tested positive for TMZ.
The 34-year-old said he had heard “whispers of doping by the Chinese team” throughout his swimming career, and initially had no reason to doubt the legitimacy of China’s 4x200m gold medal in Tokyo.
“We need the International Olympic Committee, NBC, sponsors and fans to demand integrity in our sport.”
Tygart, a longtime critic of WADA, said failure to reform the anti-doping agency would be “unacceptably unfair to today’s athletes, fans and sponsors who believe in and invest in fair and clean competition.”
Tygart said WADA’s funding should be conditional on establishing an “impartial expert committee” to decide all positive tests that do not result in anti-doping violations and public disclosure.
Phelps, Schmitt call for WADA reform in US hearing
