China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) noticed that the New York Times published an inaccurate report titled China, Citing Tainted Burgers, Cleared Swimmers in a New Doping Dispute on 30 July. Once again, the report distorted the fact and quoted the relevant case out of context. On the same day, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a statement on contamination cases in China, explaining and clarifying the facts in the case. CHINADA supports WADA’s statement and hereby makes the following response:

The two swimmers tested positive for extreme-low concentration of metandienone metabolites following an out-of-competition test by CHINADA on 6 October, 2022. Evidence shows that the Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) were caused by the athletes’ unknowing ingestion of metandienone-contaminated meat products while dining out. As per relevant provisions in the CHINADA Anti-Doping Rules and the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), CHINADA determined that the athletes involved bore no fault or negligence in the case and decided not to bring forward the AAFs as Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) against them. The decisions on these cases were duly notified to the WADA and FINA (now World Aquatics), and were recognized by both of them. In accordance with the Code and the CHINADA Anti-Doping Rules, to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the athletes, no public disclosure would be made of the decisions on cases not brought forward as ADRVs and not appealed by relevant parties.

The issue of meat contamination of prohibited substances is prevalent worldwide and similar cases have occurred in many countries and regions. CHINADA has strictly followed the standards and guidelines issued by WADA when addressing meat contamination cases to ensure that the cases are handled objectively founded on fact-based, sufficient and credible evidence. In contrast, in the recent AAF case of Erriyon Knighton, an American track and field athlete, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) abruptly suddenly decided before the start of the domestic qualifiers for the Paris Olympics that no period of ineligibility would be imposed on Knighton, claiming that Knighton’s positive result for Trenbolone was caused by ingestion of contaminated meat, and allowed him to eventually represent the United States at the Paris Olympics. Studies have shown that Trenbolone is an anabolic agent with strong enhancing effects on strength and explosiveness, and is not a common contaminant. Hundreds of AAF cases for Trenbolone have occurred around the world in recent years in total, and publicly available information shows that while the athletes involved in most of these Trenbolone AAF cases were essentially given a four-year ineligibility, three American athletes have escaped sanctions by claiming food contamination. We learned that WADA is reviewing the Knighton case and is considering appealing the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It is extremely unfair and unethical for the New York Times to politicize doping cases and turned them into a convenient tool, who, by frequently hyping up the globally widespread meat contamination issues, actually aims at disrupting the order of the swimming competitions of the Paris Olympics, disturbing the Chinese athletes and ultimately undermining their performance at the Paris games. The untrue report of the New York Times has seriously misled the public perception of anti-doping work and undermined the confidence of swimmers around the world in the clean swimming pool of Paris 2024. We strongly condemn and firmly reject it. 

We strongly call on colleagues from the media and the anti-doping community to look at contamination cases objectively, fairly and based on facts, equally treat the athletes unknowingly ingesting prohibited substances through food or environmental contamination, and work together for the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of athletes and fairness in sport.