Tatlong swimmers na sangkot sa China doping scandal nagpositibo sa test
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is facing fresh criticism over reports that three Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances in 2016-2017/ Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Nagpositibo sa paggamit ng mga ipinagbabawal na gamot ang tatlong Chinese swimmers na kasama sa 23 iba pang sangkot sa isang drug scandal, bago ang Tokyo Olympics. Ito ay sa magkakahiwalay na kaso sa ilang taong nakalipas.
Ayon sa report, ang tatlong atleta na kinabibilangan ng dalawang 2021 Olympic gold medallists at isang kasalukuyang world record holder, ay nagpositibo sa clenbuterol noong 2016 at 2017.
Iginiit ng Chinese authorities na ang nabanggit na substance ay hindi sinasadyang pumasok sa loob ng katawan ng tatlong atleta sa pamamagitan ng kontaminadong karne, kaya walang ipinataw na diciplinary action sa mga ito.
Sa isang pahayag na inilabas nitong Biyernes ay sinabi ng World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), na ang tatlo ay nasumpungang may mga antas ng clenbuterol na nasa pagitan ng “anim at 50 beses na mas mababa” kaysa sa minimum reporting level na kasalukuyang ginagamit ng ahensiya.
Ayon din sa report, ipinabatid ang kaso sa international governing body ng Swimming, ngunit wala na silang ginawang aksiyon makaraang tanggapin ang paliwanag.
Sinabi ni WADA director general Olivier Niggli, “The case highlighted the problem of clenbuterol contamination in meat. The issue of contamination is real and well-known by the anti-doping community.”
Aniya, “Over the years, there have been thousands of confirmed cases of contamination in its various forms, including more than 1,000 for meat contamination in Mexico, China, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and other countries.”
Dagdag pa ni Niggli, “The athletes in question were three such cases. They were elite level swimmers who were tested on a very frequent basis in a country where meat contamination with clenbuterol is widespread so it is hardly surprising that they could be among the hundreds of athletes who also tested positive for tiny amounts of the substance. In each of these cases, the source of the clenbuterol was confirmed to be food contamination.”
Hindi naman agad malinaw kung bakit ang tatlong kaso at hindi isinapubliko.
Ang mga pinakabagong rebelasyon ay dumating matapos mayanig ang mundo ng palakasan ng mga ulat noong Abril na nagsiwalat na 23 Chinese swimmers ang nagpositibo sa isang de-resetang gamot sa puso, ang trimetazidine (TMZ), bago ang pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Sinabi ng Chinese authorities, na hindi sinasadyang nakain ng mga atleta ang nabanggit na substance sa pamamagitan ng kontaminadong pagkain.
Ayon naman sa United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), “WADA and China’s anti-doping body had ‘swept those positives under the carpet,’ the case is a ‘potential’ cover-up.”
Labis namang ikinagalit ng WADA ang nasabing mga akusasyon, at iginiit na ang kaso ay maayos na tinugunan batay sa umiiral na ‘protocols’ at itinanggi na nagkaroon ng cover-up.
Ngunit ang mga bagong rebeleasyon ay naging sanhi upang lalo pang batikusin ng USADA at Global Athlete ang WADA.
Ang Global Athlete ang kumakatawan sa mga atleta sa buong mundo.
Sinabi ni USADA chief executive Travis Tygart, “Unbelievable does not seem fitting enough for the report from today about WADA once again allowing China to sweep positive tests under the carpet.”
Aniya, “Athletes from around the world were held accountable to the rules in effect at the time but now the world learns that WADA allowed special treatment for a chosen few. How far and wide does this preferential treatment go?”
Dagdag pa ni Tygart, “How many other countries or sports were given favorable treatment by WADA and allowed to circumvent the rules that apply to everyone else?”
Ayon naman kay Global Athlete chief Rob Koehler, “Athletes had ‘zero confidence’ in WADA and World Aquatics. Athletes are tired of empty statements from WADA that divert from answering hard questions on why all of these cases were not made public.”
Ani Koehler, “Transparency is needed more then ever, without transparency the anti-doping movement will crumble and athletes will never feel they have a level playing field.”
