The World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA, announced Tuesday it is investigating why athletes are escaping scrutiny after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. It marks a change in tone for the agency, which has previously claimed the positive tests were appropriately handled.
WADA has been under fire from U.S. authorities for months. Pressure ramped up after the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Games to Salt Lake City last week. The IOC added a condition to the host contract requiring Utah organizers to lobby the U.S. government to end its investigation into WADA’s handling of Chinese doping. Lawmakers have equated the last-minute move to blackmail.
WADA’s investigation into the alleged food contamination began earlier this year. But it only became public Tuesday after The New York Times published a report about a previously undisclosed incident where two Chinese swimmers tested positive for a powerful steroid. One of the swimmers is competing at the Paris Games.
Chinese authorities say the swimmers accidentally ingested the drug while eating hamburgers at a restaurant in Beijing.
It marks the third time in recent years China has blamed food contamination for swimmers’ positive drug tests. So far, none of the athletes have been banned from international competition.
WADA said Tuesday there is “clearly an issue of food contamination in several countries around the world.” WADA also disclosed that the hamburger case also involves two other Chinese athletes, a shooter and a BMX rider.
The agency said it is “generally concerned about the number of cases that are being closed without sanction when it is not possible to challenge the contamination theory.”
Along with China, WADA said there have also been several cases in the United States. However, the anti-doping agency did not provide any details on those cases.
