Pan Zhanle at the medal ceremony Photo: Xinhua

China has hit back at US' distortion of facts regarding contamination cases involving Chinese swimmers, with both a clarification statement from the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), as well as a gold medal after receiving an unprecedented number of anti-doping tests, which was regarded as discriminatory and unfair.  

Analysts said on Thursday that in the face of an improving Chinese swimming team, the US, which had dominated the event, has used political tricks to put pressure on Chinese athletes. But the acts harmed its own national image, and it is hard not to doubt whether in four years' time in Los Angeles, the US will be able to conduct the games fairly and uphold the Olympic spirit.

CHINADA on Wednesday accused the New York Times of distorting facts and politicizing doping disputes, one day after the newspaper reported that two Chinese swimmers in 2022 tested positive for a banned steroid but had their provisional suspensions lifted.

According to CHINADA, evidence showed that the results were caused by the athletes' unknowingly ingesting metandienone-contaminated meat products while dining out. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has also reviewed the Chinese athletes' case and found no evidence to dispute the contamination scenario. 

"The New York Times' insistence on politicizing the doping issue… is aimed at disrupting the order of the Paris Olympics swimming competition and undermining the psychological state and competitive ability of Chinese athletes," CHINADA said.  

Also on Wednesday, Chinese Olympic swimmer Pan Zhanle won the first swimming gold medal for Team China at the Paris Games in the 100m freestyle, a powerful rebuttal to the doubts that have overshadowed the Chinese swimming team. 

Pan, 19, told media that he underwent 29 tests in 2023, none of which tested positive. He noted that his progress came from professionalism and hard training. 

According to World Aquatics, Chinese Olympic swimmers were the most tested athletes in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics with an average of 21 anti-doping tests each - almost four times as many as their US counterparts.

The gold medal was an answer to the doubters, Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based senior sports commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China has a zero-tolerance attitude toward doping and has taken strict measures against doping, constantly conducting anti-doping education and continuously improve anti-doping standards, Wang noted. 

"With China's development, the nutritional security and scientific training of athletes have become increasingly advanced," another Beijing-based commentator told the Global Times on condition of anonymity.

"In those areas that were originally lagging behind due to physical weakness, breakthroughs will naturally be made," said the commentator, "the progress made in the swimming pool is just like the improvement in track and field events before."

WADA has defended China before the opening of Paris Games. In June, WADA president Witold Banka criticized the US for politicizing anti-doping and called it hypocritical and double standard. He said that 90 percent of athletes in the US do not enjoy the protections provided by the World Anti-Doping Code. And 31 percent of American athletes under the Code were not sufficiently tested in the 12 month-period prior to the Tokyo Games.

WADA's chief also warned the US on July 24 that USADA's baseless accusations against Chinese athletes are "politically motivated" and "biased against China."

In response, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill threatening to cut US funding for WADA and accusing it of failing to properly investigate alleged doping by Chinese Olympic swimmers, according to a Reuters report. 

Pan's victory shows that Chinese self-confidence is strong and undisturbed by outside noise, while the US' action finally harmed its own national image, he noted. 

With Los Angeles set to host the next summer Olympics in 2028 and the strong antagonistic mood shown by the US, it is hard not to wonder whether the US will be able to host the next Olympic Games with fairness, analysts said.