Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Chinese swimmers are now the most tested Olympians ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, according to the statistics released by World Aquatics on Tuesday. Against the backdrop of the US' continued defamation and false accusations, Team China remains open and confident, said experts while warning against the politicization of sports. 

A total of 2,145 anti-doping tests have been conducted by World Aquatics on the Olympic contestants since January 1, 2024, said World Aquatics in a press release, as cited by the Xinhua News Agency. 

The international federation, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in water sports, formerly known as FINA, emphasized that Chinese swimmers were the most tested during this period as "the 31 swimmers from China competing in Paris have each been tested at least 10 times by World Aquatics, with an average of 13 tests per swimmer."

The Chinese swimmers have been tested 418 times during this period, it said, adding that all Chinese swimmers have been tested out-of-competition at least eight times by World Aquatics, independent of any other anti-doping organization and using a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory based in Europe.

Including tests conducted by other anti-doping organizations, Chinese swimmers have been tested on average 21 times since January 1, 2024.

Earlier on July 18, Yu Liang, the Chinese national swim team nutritionist said on social media that the Chinese swimmers have faced "unprecedented levels of anti-doping scrutiny," undergoing nearly 200 tests administered by the International Testing Agency (ITA) since arriving in France.

"Including tests conducted by other anti-doping organizations, aquatics athletes competing in Paris have been tested an average of 3.4 times, with 4,774 tests done in total. This is the most tests ever conducted by World Aquatics before the Olympic Games," the federation said. 

In April, the US began sensationalizing the time the athletes tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) at a 2021 Chinese domestic competition, when the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) reported positive tests for 23 swimmers in January that year. Among the 23, 11 are set to compete in Paris. 

These positive results were later investigated and determined to be caused by contaminated food consumed during the domestic competition. CHINADA concluded that the positive tests were not due to the fault of or negligence on the part of the athletes, and the cases were not pursued as anti-doping rule violations. Both WADA and World Aquatics accepted CHINADA's statement. In July, an anti-doping review found World Aquatics to be "transparent and collaborative" in its review of the contamination case, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Despite repeated investigations with following results, the US kept up its efforts to hype and sensationalize the case and intended to defame the Chinese swimmers, to an extent that WADA founding chief, Dick Pound, openly expressed his disappointment and disgust toward the US' deliberate lies and distortions in May, according to earlier reports. 

"What is missing in USADA's conduct is a willingness to work for solutions - just endless and biased criticism," said Pound.

Echoing the WADA senior official, Chinese experts pointed out that the continuous, exaggerated, and unfounded doping accusations against China by the US are highly politicized, weaponized, and lack credibility. 

"The investigation agencies in the US have a notorious history of double standards and imbalance, which is even more evident in cases involving China," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "This so-called investigation reflects its attempt to unjustly obstruct China in all areas where its influence is growing." 

This kind of behavior is "typically American," he said, noting that the international community will not allow such intentions to succeed.

According to World Aquatics, Australian swimmers have been tested an average of four times in the same period, and US swimmers an average of six times, much fewer than the Chinese athletes. 

"The number of tests [on Chinese swimmers] are indeed excessive, but we can't do anything about it - it's all part of the plan given to us from above," an unnamed ITA official said, as quoted by Yu. 

"I can't imagine the cooperation level you and the Chinese athletes have shown. If it were another team, they would have been complaining loudly and filing complaints all over the place by now," said the official. 

"The frequent testing of Chinese athletes shows that we have enough confidence to undergo testing, and our swimming results are obtained legitimately and in compliance with regulations," Li noted. "This demonstrates that China attaches great importance to the compliance of athletes participating in sports events and also shows an open attitude to those countries with questions."

Observers noted that the international community should be vigilant against those who politicize sports events and return sports events to their original purpose, rather than allowing malevolent forces to weaponize and politicize sports, tarnishing the reputation of athletes and the image of other countries.

The swimming events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are set to begin on Saturday, a day after the opening ceremony.