WADA to hold extraordinary meeting in case of Chinese swimmers – Firstpost

The World Anti-Doping Agency said Monday it would hold an extraordinary meeting this week to discuss the cases of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a heart drug.

The virtual meeting of its foundation board was scheduled for Friday at 7 a.m. local time (11 a.m. GMT).

“The purpose of the Board meeting is to provide Members with the opportunity to be further informed on this important issue by WADA experts and to be able to ask any questions they may have,” the agency said in a statement.

WADA came under fire in April after revealing that Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine – which can enhance performance – ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The swimmers were neither suspended nor sanctioned after WADA accepted the Chinese authorities’ explanation that the results were caused by food contamination at the hotel where they had stayed.

The head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tygart, called the situation a “potential cover-up” with positive tests never made public at the time.

WADA has invited an independent prosecutor, former Swiss attorney general Eric Cottier, to review the world anti-doping body’s handling of the case.

The head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, supported WADA in its handling of the matter, also telling AFP that Chinese swimmers could participate in the Paris Olympics this year if they were allowed.