Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Three days before the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Chinese swimming team has already earned the title of "champion."

A report released by World Aquatics on Tuesday showed that swimmers from China were the most tested athletes since the beginning of this year, with an average of 13 tests per person. Including tests conducted by other anti-doping organizations, aquatics athletes competing in Paris have been tested an average of 3.4 times, the report said.

Behind this not-so-celebratory "achievement," we can see the Chinese athletes' willingness to prove their innocence by cooperating with various doping tests as well as the US' selfish calculation to politicize sports.

Such a stark contrast in numbers is, of course, quite astonishing - and may seem bitter or even unfair to many Chinese people. In a perverse way, however, it shows that these Chinese athletes are confident enough to cooperate with the tests to the legitimacy of their achievements. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, true gold fears no fire. In the case of sports, true athlete fears no test.

Compared with the calmness shown by the Chinese swimmers, the recent US response to this incident seems downright despicable. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the US Department of Justice is investigating the 2021 contamination case of 23 swimmers in China. Soon after, the US media, successfully unlocking the secret of boosting clicks - attacking Chinese sportsmen right before the Olympics, began to massively report on the incident, in an attempt to cooperate with Washington to shape a negative image of China.

And the blatant witch hunt even spilled over to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whose investigation into the 2021 case, which has been proven to be showing no favoritism or deference, was criticized by US anti-doping authorities. As WADA President Witold Banka commented, "This case was used as a geopolitical tool."

This farce, hyped up mostly by the US, is a vivid example of how Washington is racking its brain to politicize sports. Driven by the urge to engage in an all-out competition with China, the US not only seizes every possible opportunity to launch a little offensive against China, but also sees everything through the lens of political warfare.

In fact, US' long-arm jurisdiction extends to the field of sports. In 2020, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which gives US officials "the power to prosecute individuals for doping schemes at international sports competitions involving American athletes," was signed into law. But such an effort to use domestic law to interfere with the work of international sports organizations and related agencies will only cause the US to lose its global credibility.

Any international sporting event should serve as a platform that transcends political, racial and cultural differences. The US has polluted the supposedly pure sports arena with its own dirty political maneuvers, turning an event celebrated by people around the world into a political arena for it to play its petty tricks. And Team China is not the only victim - the US' moves also completely jeopardize the spirit of fair play that athletes and spectators pursue.

Another main reason why the US has been so eager to attack Chinese athletes is because of China's increasingly excellent performance in sporting events at all levels. China has attached great importance to the Olympics since its return to the games in 1984. The country has not only successfully hosted two Olympic Games in Beijing, but also made great contributions to the Olympics in other countries - for example, "Made in China" products, characterized by high quality and environmental friendliness, are widely embraced in this year's Paris Olympics.

In and out of the sports arena, Chinese athletes have also been committed to fully carrying forward the Olympic philosophy of mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. With the spirit of hard training and tenacity, they have constantly challenged themselves to become "faster, higher and stronger." During competition, they show a high degree of professionalism and sportsmanship by strictly abiding by the rules and respecting their opponents and referees. They also try their best to interact with their foreign counterparts and build friendships during international games.

It is expected that in the upcoming Paris Olympics, the US will continue to stir up trouble, using doping as an excuse to interfere with the daily routine of the Chinese athletes and shake the morale of Team China. With honorable conduct, Chinese sportsmen, on the other hand, will not be afraid of smears and attacks. However, the international community still has a long way to go to return sports events to their original, true color and prevent the sewage of politicization from further polluting the clean sports arena.