Tang Muhan and He Junyi tested positive for a banned substance back in 2022 according to the New York Times. China cleared the swimmers after citing the two went out for Coke, hamburgers, and fries.
Both swimmers tested positive for metandienone, an anabolic steroid that carries one of the longest bans. Metadienone helps promote an increase in protein synthesis, glycogenolysis, and muscle strength over a short period of time.
He and Tang tested positive after samples were taken October 6, 2022. The sample was taken while the two were at a national team training facility in Beijing. The two went out to eat at a restaurant where they had burgers, fries, and a Coke a few days prior. About a month after the tests were taken, the two had results came back positive and both athletes were provisionally suspended. Both athletes also had tests taken tests days before and after the positive test result date and the other tests were negative.
CHINADA began its investigation and it included testing “hundreds of meat samples from various sources, with dozens revealing positive results for metandienone,” according to WADA. CHINADA concluded that the positive tests were most likely caused by meat contamination. WADA and World Aquatics were given the opportunity to review the cases and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Neither organization did so.
WADA said they did review the cases earlier this calendar year but concluded there was “no evidence to challenge contaminated meat as the source of the positive tests.”
Tang was not one of the 23 members that tested positive for TMZ back in 2021, just months before the Tokyo Olympics. He on the other hand was and went on to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but is not competing this week in Paris.
Tang is currently in Paris after being named to the Chinese roster for the 2024 Games in June and looks to swim on the women’s 4×200 free relay later this week. Tang notably helped the Chinese women break the World Record in the 4×200 free relay after a 1:55.00 flying start split in Tokyo.
WADA has released a statement in response to the article by the New York Times. “The politicization of Chinese swimming continues with this latest attempt by the media in the United States to imply wrongdoing on the part of WADA and the broader anti-doping community.”
WADA also said that both athletes had samples including “trace amounts” of the substance. WADA also included in their statement, “WADA is generally concerned about the number of cases that are being closed without sanction when it is not possible to challenge the contamination theory successfully before CAS.”
Rumors had circulated about Tnag on Chinese social media in 2022, but nothing ever materialized.
I heard James Magnussen has been slamming those burgers lately too
Metadienone Is literally D-bol. Should be a lifetime ban, but here we are…
Didn’t know that… dbol is a BIG effing deal
Chinese athletes get a free pass. TMZ and Dbol are serious PEDs. It is abundantly clear that CHINADA will just use the contamination excuse as a free pass. Testing is irrelevant when it comes to China.
WADA is thoroughly corrupt. Can someone please stop this farce?
that would be “cite”.
I just hate when my Coke and Burger is randomly spiked with Performance Enhancing (and expensive) drugs without my awareness and I happen to improve and win. /s
People need to accept that a lot of athletes worldwide are juiced at the highest level . Others, are just good at hiding it.
A whole TUE system was built to protect western athletes from getting banned.
Get diagnosed for something you don’t have and apply for medication that includes roids and you’re protected for life…
Do US Swimfans truly believe that all these american swimmers improve naturally with no enhancements ?
If CHINA and Russia were juicing their athletes and all other nations were clean, no one will touch an individual podium. But we all know that the US is the one that cleans house with medals of every color.
So they test positive, say they had a burger a month ago, China finds that some meat is contaminated (just general meat, not from where the athletes ate said burgers), and WADA is like ok that makes sense no suspension? What? This is ludicrous.