USADA calls for WADA overhaul amid Chinese swimming scandal
The HinduThe U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said on Tuesday that the World Anti-Doping Agency must be overhauled to restore confidence in the global body ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics following its handling of a Chinese doping case. It called for: “governments to appoint an independent prosecutor to review the entire case file of the 23 positive tests and ensure that justice is delivered in these cases.” READ | WADA: ‘No credible evidence of wrongdoing was provided’ in Chinese swimming case The Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine months before the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics began in the Japanese capital in July 2021. “The effort to achieve whatever justice possible at this time must happen before the 2024 Paris Games, as it is unfair for all athletes competing in these Games to possibly compete against those who tested positive and whose results were kept secret until now.” But WADA, whose senior officials defended the handling of the case during a two-hour media availability on Monday, said in response it had no evidence to challenge the scenario that led to CHINADA closing the cases in June 2021. “So far, despite all the attention created around this story, nobody has been able to produce any evidence that would allow a successful prosecution of these cases.” USADA also wants the governments at the WADA Executive and Foundation Board to launch a full review into how the swimmers escaped punishment. “Additionally, following this review, we call on governments and the sport movement to overhaul WADA to ensure a cover-up of positive samples on the eve of the Olympic Games cannot occur ever again.”