Whistle-blowers claim China covered up five positive dope tests on swimmers, says media report
It says people within the mainland camp made the revelations to the British newspaper, asking them to inform Wada
Five positive drugs tests involving Chinese swimmers that were allegedly covered up are now the subject of an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), Britain’s The Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
The revelations came after Wada had announced on Wednesday it was looking into a possible doping scandal in Russian swimming following a previous Times report.
According to The Times, whistle-blowers within Chinese swimming approached the newspaper alleging that five tests had been hidden to avoid a storm before the Olympic trials next month and asked the newspaper to pass the information to Wada which is now investigating.
Zhou Ming is a name well known to coaches who lived through the crisis of the 1990s. He is a rogue who ought never to be allowed to work with children
Two of the tests are believed to have been failed in October and the other three at the turn of the year.
The Times said Chinese whistle-blowers were unable to contact Wada because of state surveillance.
It quoted an “intermediary of a source” saying: “People in Chinese swimming really want Wada to ask for the truth to be told. Our pools are awash with rumours of bad things. There’s a lot of fear.”
The Times report came amid suggestions from within China, who finished second in the swimming medals table at the 2012 Olympics in London, that a controversial coach, who had been banned for life because of doping offences, was working again with the nation’s swimmers in he city of Tianjin.
