Clareburt feels ‘let down’ by Wada over doping scandal
Paris Olympics medal contender Lewis Clareburt feels let down by the World Anti-Doping Agency, after the revelation that positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers went unpunished.
The agency was forced to acknowledge it had cleared 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a banned heart medication to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, after Chinese anti-doping authorities determined the swimmers had unwittingly ingested the substance from tainted food.
Among the swimmers listed to have tested positive was Wang Shun, who won the men’s 200 metre individual medley final in Tokyo, in which New Zealand’s Clareburt finished eighth.
“In general, the consensus is we're all pretty gutted,” Clareburt said yesterday.
“We put our trust in the World Anti-Doping Agency to do right by us, and I feel like a lot of athletes have felt like they haven't done their best for us.
“The guy that won my event in the 200 medley was on the list of people that came back with a positive test, so it's really tough to know that that stuff can happen and then be swept under the table for a few years, and then for it to finally come out, I think it's bad for the sport.”
A statement at the weekend from Travis Tygart, the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, said Wada and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests "under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world”.
Wada defended its process, saying it acted in good faith and according to due process when opting not to challenge the Chinese explanation for the positive tests.
The case of the Chinese swimmers centred on the prescription medication trimetazidine (TMZ), which is used by people with heart disease. It can help athletes improve stamina and decrease recovery times and carries a stringent penalty for use under anti-doping rules.
Wada said it had difficulties conducting investigations in China due to Covid-19 related lockdown restrictions in early 2021, when the positive tests were uncovered.
A number of world swimming stars have also expressed their displeasure over the case.
Lilly King, of the United States, who won three medals at the Tokyo Olympics, posted on her Instagram story saying, “No words. Complete heartbreak for our clean athletes and frustration in the system that has failed them.”
Three-time British Olympic champion breaststroker Adam Peaty asked why the information wasn’t released at the time.
“Who really benefits from the lack of transparency and secrecy?” Peaty asked on social media site X. “What happened to strict liability?”
Peaty is set to compete in the 100m breaststroke in Paris in July against reigning world champion Qin Haiyang, who was among those named as having tested positive for TMZ in 2021.
Clareburt said the difference in the handling of the case in comparison to that of Australian swimmer Shayna Jack was “kinda backwards”.
Jack was suspended by Swimming Australia for testing positive to the anabolic agent ligandrol. She was given a two-year ban for unintentional ingestion and missed the Tokyo Olympics before returning to competition at the completion of her ban.
“Shayna's the prime case - she had to prove her innocence, whereas Wada, for the Chinese case, said like, we can't prove that whatever they did, that they were trying to do it,” Clareburt said.
“We just feel that's kinda backwards compared to Shayna's case.”
Jack’s lawyer Tim Fuller said it was “inexplicable” why Wada didn’t challenge the verdict made by China’s anti-doping body.
“To say this decision is an outlier is an understatement,” Fuller said.
Clareburt said despite his disappointment over the latest doping scandal in the sport, he couldn’t focus heavily on other competitors and doping cases.
“If I spent my whole career worrying about whether my competitors are clean, it's probably not a good thing,” Clareburt said.
– The Press will have an article on Clareburt’s recent shift from Wellington to Auckland, and his Paris Olympics hopes, tomorrow morning.