China's anti-doping agency on Thursday called for an independent probe into its US counterpart, after a media investigation found that American authorities allowed athletes who failed drug tests to continue to compete.
The report by the Reuters news agency on Wednesday said the global and US anti-doping authorities were in disagreement over the American side's tactic of allowing athletes who tested positive for banned substances to avoid prosecution in return for giving undercover information on other drug cheats.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the strategy by the US authority (USADA) was "in direct contravention of the World Anti-Doping Code" and "threatened the integrity of sporting competition”.
The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said Thursday that it "strongly calls for an independent investigation into USADA's cover-up of serious violations" of the code designed to prevent athletes from taking illicit substances that improve performance.
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Blow to fair competition
"USADA's practice... seriously damaged fair competition in sports and the rights and interests of clean athletes, and showed that its anti-doping work lacked transparency," CHINADA said.
It added that the revelations showed the US exercised "double standards" in criticising alleged doping by other countries while "turning a blind eye" to its own issues.
Chinese and American sport authorities have traded barbs since a separate media investigation in April found 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but were still allowed to compete.
They were not punished because WADA accepted the argument of Chinese authorities that the positive results were caused by contaminated food.
The disclosures brought widespread criticism of WADA, particularly from the US, which infuriated China by accusing the global governing body of a cover-up.
CHINADA said in a separate statement earlier Thursday that US track and field athletes were plagued by "systemic" doping abuses.
It cited the case of American sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who tested positive for a banned substance in March but was cleared to compete in Paris after an independent arbitrator ruled that the result likely came from contaminated meat.
Knighton has qualified for Thursday's Olympic 200m final in Paris.
CHINADA called for more tests on American track and field athletes, alleging "deep-rooted stains in... US athletics and USADA's repeated disregard for procedures and standards”.
CHINADA provided no evidence that American athletes currently at the Games had failed doping tests.
The US top the Olympics medals table with 27 golds, just ahead of China on 25.
China named 11 of the swimmers implicated in the doping scandal in their Paris Olympics team. China's swimmers finished with 12 medals -- two gold, three silver and seven bronze.
CHINADA said in June that it would "never" agree to a US demand to release details of its investigation into the 23 swimmers.
AFP