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≡ U.S. vs. WADA CONTINUES ≡
During Tuesday’s Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy hearing, “WADA Shame: Swimming in Denial Over Chinese Doping,” Chair Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) asked U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart the central question about the January 2021 Chinese doping incident and the subsequent acceptance by the World Anti-Doping Agency of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency’s insistence that the positive doping results were the result of contaminated food that contained the banned substance trimetazidine, or “TMZ”:
“As soon as the allegations came to light [in 2024], I got a letter out to WADA, demanding to know why they felt like they could ignore this doping, and their answer back to me was insufficient. And, of course, they blamed everyone but themselves, which is not a surprise to us.
“And they even said that there was no basis to challenge the contamination and that the source was TMZ. And so, they you go, and we find out, of course, that they have lied about this, and I know you’ve reviewed their response.
“I want for you to just talk for a minute about why it is completely implausible that the Chinese swimmers were unwittingly contaminated.”
Tygart was more than ready, with a detailed answer:
“We have attempted to get answers as you all have as to what really happened. We’ve seen what they have produced, which is very little.
“They appointed a very, you know, limited review of their own actions, and you don’t have to take it from me, you can take it from what he [ex-Vaud attorney general Eric Cottier] determined.
“He determined that they did not prove contamination and that it was just as plausible to be intentional use. You then couple that with the fact that WADA did no investigation, just blindly accepted the factual scenario that was provided by the Chinese.
“And, in fact, months before these positive tests showed up on their desks, they had interviewed a defector, a whistleblower from Russia – excuse me, from China – who had indicated to them that TMZ was being given in a systemic fashion to athletes, but yet WADA leaders never brought in their independent investigative unit. They have a 16-person, very experienced investigative unit; they were not involved at all with investigating the facts of this case.
“TMZ is a prescription medication in some countries. It does not just show up in the kitchen.
“It’s unbelievable to think that, you know, Tinker Bell showed up and sprinkled it within the kitchen. The Chinese didn’t find anyone using it. They didn’t find it in the food.
“And the amount of food, the amount of contaminated drink that you would have to actually eat or consume to get these [TMZ] levels – was a few micrograms – I think we did the analysis based on the information that’s out there. It’s like 11 pounds of food, and over, I think, seven gallons of liquid in order to get the levels, and to think that Chinese athletes at the top of their game are going to do that type of diet the day before an event, or the day after one event, before the next day’s race, is just absolutely ludicrous.
“And it’s why we’ve asked for the questions: why hasn’t this followed the process that, and the protocols that are in place.”
In fact, the testing of the Chinese athletes in 2021 was in the midst of a winter national championship meet – not just a training camp – in which the top swimmers were involved.
The hearing was in support of S. 233, “Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Act of 2025,” introduced on 23 January 2025 by Blackburn, and assigned to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, of which her subcommittee is a part. That bill would allow the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy to withhold U.S. dues to WADA unless specific governance reforms discussed during the hearing are implemented.
WADA has strenuously maintained that it did nothing wrong, showed no bias in favor of the Chinese athletes in this case and that Tygart, USADA, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Congress are simply trying to play politics.
The war of words between the two sides continues unabated.
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