Zhang Yufei denies any wrongdoing after she was named as one of the 23 swimmers from China who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs prior to the Olympics in 2021. She also claims that the country increased drug testing for this year’s Games to ensure that their athletes are clean.
Her comments mark the first time that anyone from the Chinese contingency addressed the ongoing scandal in Paris and there is no way to know if she is telling the truth.
This discussion stems from a massive coverup that took place three years ago. It was revealed in April that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Chinese Anti-Doping Agency officials did not publicly disclose positive doping tests that were collected in 2021. 23 Chinese Olympic swimmers tested positive for potent performance-enhancing drugs on the eve of the Tokyo Games. Their results were secretly swept under the rug by China and the international governing body.
Yufei was one of those 23 swimmers. However, she blamed the positive test on food contamination and claimed that the Chinese government does not allow athletes to dope on purpose.
“I don’t think any athlete, Chinese or non-Chinese, would want to destroy the work they built up every day over the years on doping.”
— Zhang Yufei
The United States has been extremely critical of WADA, World Aquatics and China over the last few days, weeks and months. Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel directly called out the doping scandal on a public platform upon arrival to Paris. Other countries have done the same— especially Australia.
Is China clean at the Olympics?
Yufei claims that the positive test in 2021 was not an issue then and that doping is not an issue now. She said that Chinese athletes have been tested for banned substances 20 to 30 times over the past two months to ensure that they are clean for the Olympics. If that is true, it’s great news. “If” is the key word.
Either way, there is a lot of reason to be skeptical of Team China. They got away with 23 positive tests at the last Olympics. Who is to say that it wouldn’t happen again?
Yufei insists that everything is up to standard. She hopes that other athletes (and spectators) won’t look at China as cheaters.
“I really hope everyone will not look at the Chinese swimming team with tinted glasses. Before last year, and before the scandal broke out, I got along really well with competitors from other countries. Now at this Olympics, I’m really worried that my good friends will look at me differently, that they would be unwilling to compete with me or watch me compete.”
— Zhang Yufei
Considering everything that has happened over the last few months, really since 2021, Yufei’s concerns are valid. There is a mental asterisk next to China until there are answers.