Australian sports fans shared their opinions about the doping smears of Chinese swimmers.
Independent prosecutor Eric Cottier on July 9 released his report, ruling that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was not "biased" in the handling of a contamination case involving 23 Chinese swimmers.
WADA held an online extraordinary executive meeting on July 11 in Montreal discussing the interim report delivered by Cottier, regarding his review of WADA's handling of China Anti-Doping Agency(CHINADA)'s decision not to punish 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) at a training camp seven months before the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
"I reckon the independent umpire's probably done it well. He has gone through and thoroughly investigated everything. And if the Chinese say they haven't done anything and the anti-doping agency reckons they haven't done anything, I don't think there's any reason for the Australians to suspect any foul play going on here. I reckon it's a bit baseless. If they've been cleared for everything, there's no proper wrongdoing that they've done, then there's no real point in testing them extra if they haven't been convicted of anything. And it's innocent until proven guilty. So there's no real reason for them to be tested so much," said Southan Sidharth, a student in Melbourne.
Some Australians have commended the remarkable achievements of Chinese swimmers at the Paris Olympics and emphasized the importance of respecting WADA and the independent prosecutor.
The swimming events at the Paris 2024 Olympics have concluded, with 12 medals clinched by the Chinese team. Their outstanding performances have won admiration from spectators worldwide, but they were also met with persistent smears of doping.
Chinese swimmers competing in Paris have been tested an average of 13 times by World Aquatics since January 1, 2024, and an average of 21 times overall, including testing by other anti-doping organizations. During that same timeframe, the average number of tests taken by all aquatic competitors competing in Paris was only 3.4 times.
"I don't think it's fair for the athletes as they've done nothing wrong this year, and they've been trying their best, and I feel like they've been participating a lot better this year," said Arsh Kaur, another student.
"I think in these situations, initially, you have to trust the independence of that person. It might seem hard to take, but the outcome should be that suspicion will be removed in that regard. It's something that they should bear with, tolerate and get through," said Ron Brown, a project manager.
Australians shares view on doping controversy
