Swim authorities firm in stance against doping after Chen case

China has a very firm attitude against misuse of drugs, experts told the Global Times on Friday, following a statement from the Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) saying that it is “sorry and uneasy” about the positive doping result turned in by 18-year-old swimmer Chen Xinyi during the Rio Olympic Games.

The statement was released after Chen tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, a banned substance which can be used to mask the effects of other drugs, after her fourth-place finish in the women’s 100-meter butterfly on August 7.

Chen was suspended from taking further part in the competition on August 12 after submitting a second “B” sample for testing.

The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) disqualified Chen from the Rio Games on Thursday.

Further punishment will be decided by the world’s top swimming body, the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Wang Yuqing, an antidoping education expert from Shenyang Sport University, told the Global Times on Friday that Chen might be banned from competitive swimming, possibly for up to four years.

The CSA said in the statement that it would respect the decision by CAS, and that it would further investigate the issue.

The CSA added that it conducts thousands of doping tests each year, and has severely punished athletes that have been caught doping according to the relevant anti-doping laws and regulations. Those efforts have effectively suppressed the practice of doping among domestic athletes.

According to a separate statement from the Chinese Olympic delegation, only two out of 1,000 athletes have failed the doping checks in recent years, Xinhua reported.

“China’s doping management is very strict in general, although some drug tests are more or less a cat-and-mouse game, so there will be athletes who slipped through the net,” Wang said.

He also noted that some experts within the Chinese sports system are studying how to deal with the misuse of drugs.

The CSA said the Chen Xinyi issue shows that China’s doping management still has loopholes and it would further strengthen anti-doping education, supervision and punishment.