More Chinese swimmers secretly tested positive, blamed hamburgers: Report

The Chinese swimmers doping saga has taken another twist.

Two more swimmers tested positive for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid in late 2022 but were cleared after the Chinese Anti Doping Agency (CHINADA) determined the source was most likely contaminated meat from hamburgers, according to a report from The New York Times published Tuesday. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) later confirmed the basic details of the report in a statement.

According to the Times, one of the swimmers, Tang Muhan, is on China's team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and expected to compete Thursday. The other, He Junyi, was also among the 23 swimmers who tested positive in the initial doping case, which has sent ripple effects throughout the anti-doping community.

In that case, the swimmers tested positive for banned heart medication trimetazidine but a Chinese investigation found that the source was most likely contamination from a hotel kitchen.

CHINADA did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment Tuesday but told the Times that it has always "adhered to a firm stance of 'zero tolerance' for doping" and complied with anti-doping rules.

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WADA painted the Times' report as part of a broader effort by the United States to attack China.

"The politicization of Chinese swimming continues with this latest attempt by the media in the United States to imply wrongdoing on the part of WADA and the broader anti-doping community," WADA said in a statement. "As we have seen over recent months, WADA has been unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers but has no mandate to participate in that."

According WADA, the two swimmers tested positive for "trace amounts" of the anabolic steroid metandienone in October 2022. The Times reported that He and Tang were training together at a national team facility in Beijing when they decided to stop at a restaurant for french fries, Coca-Cola and hamburgers − the latter of which were later determined to be the souce of the steroid.

WADA said the swimmers' positive tests occurred around the same time that a Chinese shooter and Chinese BMX racer also tested positive for the same steroid, prompting a broader investigation by CHINADA into meat contamination.

"Following its investigation, CHINADA concluded that the four cases were most likely linked to meat contamination and, in late 2023, closed the cases without asserting a violation, with the athletes having remained provisionally suspended throughout that time," WADA said in its statement.

The bigger issue, in critics' eyes, is that this case was not publicly disclosed at the time by CHINADA, as required under anti-doping rules even in cases where contamination is a possibility. CHINADA also did not disclose the positive tests by the 23 swimmers. And WADA did not challenge either finding, nor does it appear to have punished CHINADA for failing to disclose the positive tests.

WADA's inaction has led to a brutal, messy fight between high-powered sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

USADA and its chief executive officer, Travis Tygart, have repeatedly and consistently ripped WADA for what it has portrayed as an attempt to sweep the Chinese doping cases under the rug. WADA has since sniped back, and the IOC has come to its defense, even going so far as to amend the host city contract that will allow the U.S. to host the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Tuesday's report will likely only increase the ongoing interest in possible Chinese doping by U.S. lawmakers and law enforcement. Members of Congress held a hearing on the matter earlier this month, and the Department of Justice is reportedly investigating the initial 23 positive tests under the auspices of the Rodchenkov Act, which allows U.S. authorities to pursue criminal charges in doping cases that impact U.S. athletes.

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad.