On Chinese doping case,す ば ちゃん lawmakers demand action, answers from Olympic and law-enforcement leaders

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 23, 2024 at 11:10 JST

• Share
• Tweet list

• Print

Poland's Sports Minister Witold Banka speaks during an interview March 18, 2019, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo)

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter Wednesday to the leader of the World Anti-Doping Agency asking for answers about the case in which 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite positive tests for a banned drug.

That letter came a day after a bipartisan group from the House sent a similar request to IOC President Thomas Bach and a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for a briefing on federal investigators’ knowledge of the case.

“It is not just this one incident that causes concern for many athletes, anti-doping agencies, and fans across the world, but it is the fact that WADA has long shown questionable ethical behavior,” said the letter sent from Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Last month, German broadcaster ARD and the New York Times reported that Chinese authorities determined the swimmers who had tested positive for a banned heart medication would not be punished because they had accidentally ingested the banned heart medication found in a hotel kitchen.

The story triggered a harsh backlash from WADA critics who said the agency did not follow its own rules when it decided to accept China’s explanation for the positives instead of further pursuing the case. WADA has argued it handled the case appropriately and that, given the circumstances, it would have had virtually no chance of winning the case on appeal.

Three of the swimmers who were cleared won gold medals less than a year later in Tokyo.

“This scandal raises serious legal, ethical, and competitive concerns and may constitute a broader state-sponsored strategy by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to unfairly compete at the Olympic Games,” Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., wrote to Wray and Garland.

Moolenaar is chair and Krishnamoorthi is ranking member on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

They and the senators also focused on reporting by The Associated Press that pointed out China had donated nearly $2 million above its required annual dues to WADA programs in the two years before this case erupted. The lawmakers questioned whether WADA’s sponsorship deal with a Chinese-based sports products company was a conflict of interest.

“The global anti-doping system — a bedrock of the international sports community — is built upon trust and accountability,” the senators wrote in their letter to WADA President Witold Banka. “When WADA loses the international community’s trust, it can no longer effectively do its job.”

WADA appointed a Swiss prosecutor to conduct an investigation into the case and the agency’s handling of it. Critics have said the terms of that investigation aren’t broad enough and have asked for a wider probe, along with full disclosure of notes involved in the case file.

“While the recent appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate these claims is a step in the right direction, that appointment is not enough — real accountability from an independent auditor is imperative,” the senators wrote.

• ·不倫発覚の国民民主党・玉木雄一郎代表、自身のＸでも謝罪「信頼を大きく裏切るものであったことを痛感」
• ·３３歳の吉本新喜劇マドンナ、超絶スタイルの美脚に衝撃「これはたまりません」　１２キロ減量も話題
• ·炎鵬が初黒星　「力不足ですね。自分の体が動かなかったことが予想外です」
• ·「虎ハンター」小林邦昭さん通夜…藤原喜明、佐々木健介ら参列
• ·スタン・ハンセンが４２年前に客席に投げ入れたテンガロンハット、驚がくの鑑定額にファン歓喜
• ·西山茉希、「すっぴん団子」でも漂うオーラ…「お肌ぴかぴか」「茉希ちゃん カッコいい！」の声
• ·関脇・貴景勝、師匠が進退について進展はなしと明かす　
• ·大相撲“特等席”にコンビ不仲で話題になったベテラン漫才師…相方とは違う人と観戦
• ·「聖闘士星矢 THEN 廃墟の花」フルカラーで週チャンに登場、名シーンの全サも
• ·脊髄梗塞から復帰の佐藤弘道、ＮＨＫＥテレ「おかあさんといっしょ」放送６５年の誕生パーティー収録に参加
• ·日テレ　ゴールデン進出した「ニノさん」の後番組は「おためしイッテＱ！」に決定　同局「新たなスターを発掘したい」
• ·真田広之、守り続ける高倉健さんの言葉　「腹の底まで響いて」１７年前のインタビューから考えぶれず
• ·【ボートレース】急成長の藤原碧生が今年５回目の優勝を狙う…宮島ルーキーシリーズ１４日開幕
• ·３３歳の吉本新喜劇マドンナ、超絶スタイルの美脚に衝撃「これはたまりません」　１２キロ減量も話題
• ·アニメ「凍牌」に関俊彦・子安武人・日笠陽子　OP流れる第3弾PV公開、新ビジュアルも（コメントあり / 動画あり）
• ·猫かぶりな女子高生＆ダウナーな保健医のGL、「サボりなら保健室でどうぞ？」