Chinese swimmers experiense increased target testing before the Paris Olympics
July 23, 2024Chinese swimmers are being target tested out-of-competition prior to the Olympic Games in Paris starts. The swimmers has been tested so much that the team has reacted over the increased testing before the Paris Olympics.
The World Aquatics - the Governing body of the sport of Swimming - told Associated Press that Chinese swimmers will be undergoing increased drug testing before the Games in Paris.
According to an article by Channel News Asia swimmers from China has been tested around 200 times in the last ten days.
China Leads the Anti-Doping Database Statistics
In the Anti-Doping Database (ADDB) we have registered more than 70 doping cases involving Chinese swimmers. Swimming is also the sport in China with the second most doping cases. Only Track and Field has more doping cases with nearly 90 athletes sanctioned after violating an anti-doping rule.
In the sport of swimming, Russia is in second place with 44 athletes banned. USA has 35 athletes banned for an anti-doping rule violation.
Our database shows that China has more doping cases in Swimming than USA (35) and Brazil (31) together.
In total 489 swimmers has been registered in the ADDB after violating an anti-doping rule. Anabolic Agents (Steroids) is used in 173 of these cases, still Cannabis is the substance most athletes tests positive for. 45 swimmers has been sidelined after testing positive for the recreational drug.
Nandrolone (27 positive tests), followed by Stanozolol (25), are the two first steroids on the top ten list.
Clenbuterol second most reason to be banned
The most commonly used substance Chinese swimmers tests positive for is Clenbuterol. 12 Chinese swimmers has tested positive for the steroid. That is more than half of all swimmers who has tested positive for that particular substance. Totally 23 athletes has tested positive for Clenbuterol.
The steroid is also in second place when it comes to positive tests among Chinese athletes. Out of the 208 Chinese athletes we've registered in the Anti-Doping Database, 21 Chinese athletes has been banned after testing positive for Clenbuterol.
EPO leads the list of substances among Chinese athletes banned for testing positive for a prohibited substance. But only by one positive test.
We've registered a total of 474 athletes who has been given a suspension after testing positive for the banned substance. And you do get long suspensions after testing positive for Clenbuterol. 183 of the 474 athletes has been sidelined for four years. 181 was given a two year suspension. Only 27 has been banned for three years.
23 swimmers escaped a suspension
The extended testing is a result of how 23 top Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance seven months before the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, still they managed to escape a doping ban. The news of the positive tests broke in the New York Times newspaper earlier in 2024.
The reason was that they had eaten contaminated food. It is not uncommon in China to use Clenbuterol in food. According to an article on NPR, Chinese farmers started using the steroid in the late 1980s to boost growth and get animals to market faster. The use of the steroid was banned in 2002.
WADA - the World Anti-Doping Agency - investigated the incidents and found that it was correct not to impose penalties on the swimmers, according to NYT.
That decision did not go down well. Many National Anti-Doping Organizations, headed by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), reacted to the news.