IOC President Thomas Bach Has ‘Full Confidence’ in WADA Over Chinese Doping Case

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said Friday that he has “full confidence” in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) amid criticism that the organization let 23 Chinese swimmers off the hook for positive tests of a banned substance in January of 2021.

WADA decided not to challenge China’s assertion that elite swimmers unwittingly ingested trimetazidine (TMZ) due to food contamination from their hotel kitchen. After pressure from anti-doping authorities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, WADA announced Thursday that Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier would review the case for bias and share his conclusion within two months — before the Paris Olympics start this summer.

“We have full confidence in WADA and the regulations and that WADA have followed their regulations,” Bach said in an interview at the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Bach said the IOC is awaiting results of WADA’s internal investigation to make any determinations about Chinese swimmers’ participation in Paris. Thirteen of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for TMZ went on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics seven months later, including gold medalists Zhang Yufei (200 butterfly, 4×200 free relay), Wang Shun (200 IM), and Yang Junxuan (4×200 free relay).

“If the procedures are followed, there is no reason for them not to be there,” Bach said about Chinese swimmers competing at the Olympics this summer. “It is not possible that you will just throw an allegation to an athlete which is not supported by the relevant authorities — in this case, WADA — and then you say, okay, for these reasons, because some people are not happy, you keep them away from the Olympic Games.”

On Friday, the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said it would actively cooperate with WADA’s audit. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart said the review isn’t truly independent because WADA picked an attorney “from its own backyard” and limited the scope of Cottier’s investigation.

“The world’s athletes deserve a truly independent review commission with a wide scope of review that is constituted with an independent athlete representative and impartial respected jurists with anti-doping experience appointed by government consensus,” Tygart said.

Bach addressed a few other Olympic issues during Friday’s interview. He addressed Israel’s invasion Palestine, calling the situation “completely different” than Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Bach also said the IOC has “all the confidence” that the Paris 2024 opening ceremony can take place as planned along the Seine River. French president Emmanuel Macron said last week that the ceremony could be moved to the national stadium at Stade de France if the security risk is too much. A few months ago, organizers reduced the number of spectators allowed from 600,000 to 320,000.

“The very meticulous, very professional approach (from French authorities) gives us all the confidence that we can have this opening ceremony on the river Seine and that this opening ceremony will be iconic, will be unforgettable for the athletes, and everybody will be safe and secure,” Bach said.

Bach declined to comment on whether the IOC’s statutes might be amended to allow him to continue serving as president even after his second four-year term comes to an end this year.

“The IOC Ethics Commission has given me the strict recommendation not to address this question before the end of (the) Paris (Olympics) and I think they have good reasons for this,” the 70-year-old Bach said.

Related: 

• USADA, White House Call for Independent Investigation Into Chinese Doping Scandal
• Olympic Swimmers React to Chinese Doping Scandal: ‘Ban Them All and Never Compete Again’

SwimSwam: IOC President Thomas Bach Has ‘Full Confidence’ in WADA Over Chinese Doping Case