World anti-doping chiefs ask ‘independent prosecutor’ to examine Chinese swimmers case
- Wada tasks former Swiss public prosecutor Eric Cottier to review its handling of the case
- Agency says it will send a team to China to ‘assess the current state of the country’s anti-doping programme’
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Chinese swimmers’ doping claims: what drug was involved, what has been said and what happens next
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has asked an independent prosecutor to review its handling of the case where 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a prescription heart drug.
The agency also said it would send a “compliance audit team” to China to “assess the current state of the country’s anti-doping programme” run by anti-doping body Chinada.
Wada has faced criticism since media reports at the weekend that the swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) – which can enhance performance – ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but were not sanctioned after the global body accepted the Chinese explanation that the case was caused by food contamination.
The head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada), Travis Tygart, has called the situation a “potential cover-up” and called Thursday’s announcement of an independent investigation “self-serving.”
In a statement, Wada said it had asked former Swiss public prosecutor Eric Cottier to review its handling of the case.
“Wada’s integrity and reputation is under attack,” Witold Banka, the agency’s president, said. “In the past few days, Wada has been unfairly accused of serious bias in favour of China by not appealing the Chinada case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.