The World Anti-Doping Agency did not mishandle or show favoritism in the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned substances and were cleared to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, an independent investigation said.
A report by Swiss prosecutor and lead investigator Eric Cottier found there was nothing in the file to suggest Wada in any way favored the 23 swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication that increases blood flow to the heart.
The swimmers were cleared by a Chinese investigation which said they were inadvertently exposed to the drug through contamination. The report determined the swimmers were staying at a hotel where traces of TMZ were discovered in the kitchen.
Wada said it had no evidence to challenge China's findings.
Cottier's investigation found no irregularities on the part of Wada's review of the China Anti-Doping Agency decision and that it had covered all relevant issues in determining whether or not to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "All the elements taken into consideration by Wada ... show the decision not to appeal to be reasonable, both from the point of view of the facts and the applicable rules," Cottier said in his report.
Wada has vigorously defended its handling of the Chinese case and welcomed the report, with its president, Witold Banka, saying Cottier's decision was "very crystal clear."
The report, however, drew a stinging rebuke from anti-doping groups Global Athlete and FairSport, which called the process "inherently flawed from the outset due to its limited scope and independence."
The report, they said, does not provide sufficient evidence to support Cottier's findings and also does not explain why the 23 Chinese athletes were not provisionally suspended with mandatory public disclosure.
REUTERS
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