WASHINGTON – The two leaders of the US Senate Commerce Committee sent a letter to the president of the world anti-doping agency on Friday, demanding answers on “how to ensure fair competition.” Paris Olympic Games this summer and fight against the possible use of performance-enhancing drugs.
“We write about refers to reports The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has cleared Chinese swimmers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. playground for Team USA and all Olympic athletes,” Senate Commerce Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote in the letterThis was first reported by NBC News.
In a letter addressed to the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Witold Bank, the two senators request a number of documents related to 23 Chinese swimmers. reporttested positive for a banned heart drug but was cleared to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
The document request includes all of China’s communications with the anti-doping agency and all case files provided to outside counsel during the appeals process. The senators are also asking for a “account of business” that the agency submitted to special prosecutor Eric Cottier, who was invited to look into the case, and meeting minutes of all the WADA’s executive committee meetings since 2019.
China Anti-Doping Agency known as CHINADA denied the scandal such as “false accusations and misleading, defamatory reports”. Chinada said officials found traces of the banned substance TMZ at the Shijiazhuang hotel where the swimmers tested positive and were staying for the national meet. They called it “an isolated mass incident caused by athletes unknowingly consuming TMZ-contaminated food” and said there was “no fault or negligence” of those involved. Chinese officials have also denied doping allegations.
There is WADA defended his decision He said he had “no concrete grounds to protest the alleged pollution” and called the failure to take action and media reports about the episode “misleading”.
Cantwell and Cruz end by asking the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency what action the organization will take to “ensure fair competition” and how the organization will “ensure transparency and coordination between the Anti-Doping Agencies of individual countries by the 2024 Paris Summer.” Olympic Games.”
They are giving the agency until July 5 to respond.
The issue has sparked interest on Capitol Hill, where House members will hear testimony from swimmers Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt. in court next week Entitled “Investigation of anti-doping measures before the 2024 Olympics”.
Rep. Frank Pallone, DN.J., Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, he said “It is outrageous that the World Anti-Doping Agency has refused to testify before my Committee next week,” accusing the organization of “shunning responsibility.”
NBC News is the division of NBCUniversal that holds the US media rights for the Olympic Games through 2032, including the 2024 Paris Games, which begin on July 26.
“Athletes are rightly concerned about fair competition at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is important that WADA does everything in its power to ensure fair competition,” the senators wrote in the letter.
Explaining their jurisdiction, they added: “The Standing Rules of the Senate give the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation the power and duty to “continually review and study” matters related to both sports and agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction. Including sports agencies such as the US Anti-Doping Agency.