By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has invited independent prosecutor Eric Cottier to conduct a thorough review of WADA’s handling of the Chinese doping scandal in which 23 swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ).
23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance TMZ at the start of the calendar year in 2021, about seven months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The swimmers were not sanctioned by CHINADA as traces of TMZ were reportedly found present in the hotel the swimmers stayed at. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) upheld CHINADA’s decision.
WADA has tasked Cottier to present his opinion on two main questions:
- Is there any indication of bias towards China, undue interference or other impropriety in WADA’s assessment of the decision by CHINADA not to bring forward anti-doping rule violations against the 23 Chinese swimmers?
- Based on a review of the case file related to the decision by CHINADA not to bring forward anti-doping rule violations against the 23 Chinese swimmers, as well as any other elements that WADA had at its disposal, was the decision by WADA not to challenge on appeal the contamination scenario put forward by CHINADA a reasonable one?
Cottier will be allowed full access to all of WADA’s files and documents on the matter and will be allowed to consult with any experts to reach conclusions. A timeline for his findings expect the review to begin in the next few days with a findings report to come “within two months” WADA said. Upon Cotter’s report, the WADA Executive Committee which has 16 members consisting of athletes, Governments, and the Sport Movement, will then assess the report and consider next steps.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USASA) CEO Travis Tygart already given a statement on the announcement from WADA telling the New York Times, “It’s hard to view this as anything other than a whitewash given the ongoing threats and attacks.” Tygart continued, “Clearly it’s precooked. WADA’s statement exemplifies the problem with the current system. WADA does not follow its own rules, and then it gets to handpick an attorney from its own backyard and also sets the scope of that handpicked attorney’s review.”
Cottier has 39 years of experience as a prosecutor and is currently a member of the Board of the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law and also is a Prosecutor at the federal level in Switzerland. Before his current work, he was the Attorney General of the Canton de Vaud in Switzerland from 2005 until retiring in 2022. He also spent time at several courts in Switzerland from 1984-2005.
WADA’s headquarters are located in Montreal, Canada but is a Swiss Foundation as it was set up in 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland. WADA’s statutes are approved and registered by Swiss Authorities.
SwimSwam: WADA Invites Independent Prosecutor Eric Cottier For Thorough Review Of Chinese Scandal
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