United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart continued to question the legitimacy of the ruling that Chinese swimmers tested positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ) due to contamination while speaking at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
Tygart told senators that the Chinese swimmers would have had to eat around 11 pounds of food to test for the amounts of TMZ they did in early 2021 while on a training camp prior to the Tokyo Olympics. Chinese authorities ruled that the swimmers had been contaminated by food made in their hotel kitchen, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that explanation.
“It’s unbelievable to think that Tinkerbell just showed up and sprinkled it all over the kitchen,” Tygart said in the Senate hearing, according to The Associated Press.
USADA scientists reportedly analyzed data from a report commissioned by WADA to come up with the amount of food (11 lbs/5 kilograms) or liquid (4.9 liters) the athletes would have had to consume to test positive at the levels they did.
Tygart has been at the forefront of an ongoing saga between USADA and WADA, which led to the U.S. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) withholding its annual $3.6 million payment to WADA.
Rahul Gupta, the Director of the ONDCP who ultimately made the decision to withhold the funding to WADA, also testified in the hearing.
Gupta compared WADA’s governance issues with those of a used car.
“You expect that the car has been thoroughly inspected, that it’s safe and roadworthy,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “But as soon as you drive it off the lot, the brakes fail and the engine sputters — and only then do you learn that the dealership has a history of skipping inspections altogether.”
WADA declined to participate in the hearing, with spokesperson James Fitzergald calling it “another political effort led by Travis Tygart … to leverage the Senate and the media in a desperate effort to relitigate the Chinese swimming cases and misinform athletes and other stakeholders,” according to The Associated Press.
Tygart and Gupta recommended a number of reforms to WADA, most of them based around ensuring independence, which they say cannot be accomplished under the current model, which requires the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to fund half of WADA’s money.
American swimmer Katie McLaughlin, who was a member of the U.S. women’s 4×200 free relay that won silver at the Tokyo Olympics behind the Chinese team that ended up having two of the swimmers who tested positive on it (Yang Junxuan, Zhang Yufei), also testified at the hearing on Tuesday.
“It broke my heart and my teammates’ hearts because, Madam Chairwoman, clean athletes carry the weight of sacrifice and discipline and transparency, and when that’s not honored, it undermines the whole point of what we’re fighting for,” McLaughlin said about the swimmers who had tested positive, according to The Daily Signal.
“What’s particularly disheartening as well is to learn that the powers that be, WADA, is supposed to be the one holding everyone to the same standard, is not holding everyone accountable.”
McLaughlin swam the third leg on the relay in Tokyo, combining with Allison Schmitt, Paige Madden and Katie Ledecky to earn silver in an American Record time of 7:40.73, which was also under the world record coming into the meet, while the Chinese team won gold and broke the world record in 7:40.33.
Schmitt has previously testified at a Congressional hearing.
Tygart added that potentially as many as 96 medals at the 2021 and 2024 Olympics were affected by the Chinese doping case.
“These 96 medals were potentially impacted by China, sweeping dozens of positive tests on their elite-level swimmers under the rug, while the global regulator, the World Anti-Doping Agency—otherwise known as WADA—did nothing about it,” Tygart said, according to The Daily Signal.
“Let me be very clear: We need a strong WADA. We support the mission, but we need a WADA that is truly independent, a global regulator, not a lapdog to interests other than anything besides clean athletes and parents and sport.”
You can find full coverage of last year’s doping scandal here.
is there a therapeutic use exemption for swimswam comments?
WADA made its decision. And because it didn’t favor America’s ”Precious Little Darlings,” it continues to whine like a petulant 2 year old on behalf of the ”Silver Sweethearts.” Last time I checked, the East German women swimmers were still the gold medalists from the 1976 Olympics. If America wants to rewrite swimming history, wouldn’t that be a better place to start? And while America holds the eraser, it might want to open the books of Major League Baseball, the NFL, and a few others. Because the windows in those glass houses are filthy as well. Then again, in a previous congressional hearing, Mark McGwire infamously said, ”I’m not here to discuss the past . . .”
We (you and I and everyone else in swimswam) will obviously can never know the true facts of the case. But the argument that some injustice has previously happened is never a good case to absolve future and other transgressions. WADA has its own incentives to make its decisions that arent exclusively merit, thats just a fact. Not saying its malicious but they are humans and can be influenced by many different factors.
If we assume the quantity of medication as fact, i dont think any reasonable person would believe they accidently consumed 5lbs of something that happened to have them perform well. Its not like adding sugar thats cheap to make it task better. its closer to sprinkling gold… Read more »
”If we assume. . .” and ”any reasonable person . . .” Interesting choice of phrasing. Especially, after writing ”they are humans and can be influence by many different factors . . .” Your words reflect your views, which means your response is subjective, is it not?
My post was not based on what I feel. My post was based on America’s lack of acceptance when a judgment is made that America does not agree with. As well as America painting its athletes in victim colors, while shading other athletes in guilty hues. Also, since WADA made its ruling, to revisit and rewrite their decision would amount to ”double jeopardy,” would it not?
Everyone can present evidence to support their… Read more »
Your arguments entirely consist of deflection, reflexive finger pointing and irrelevant anti-Americanism. Let’s talk about the actual case. Do you believe that China did nothing wrong here? Do you believe that Tygert is incorrect in his analysis?
It’s not an argument. It’s a discussion. What I believe does not matter. If you want to infer my posts as deflections, finger pointing, irrelevant anti-Americanism, you are free to do so. I find it fascinating that people still want to read between the lines when someone doesn’t beat around the bush. WADA is in charge of determining guilt or innocence. Once WADA made its decision, whether you, Tygert, or anyone else agrees with it or not, the case is closed. Except in America. Why is that? Because America didn’t get the ruling it wanted? That appears so, since it is now June 2025 and American is still whining. But maybe you have an alternative explanation.
As far as Tygert… Read more »
All I’m sayin is there is a certain swimmer who “can’t get an individual gold” who also took silver in the 200 fly in Tokyo to the first juiced swimmer on this list: https://swimswam.com/who-was-a-part-of-the-23-positive-swimmers-from-china-and-who-was-not/
@SwimSwam could you guys write an article about the USA TUE scandals? 7 TUE Dressel for example? There is a lot of little pieces of information flying around, but not clearly in 1 place. Would be interesting to see how the public responds to that, as it it just a case of ‘legal doping’…
Dick Pound too gutless to show up and face questioning but he’ll have a blowhard response any day now
Why would he show up to a US congress hearing. Is this another case of US feeling t]like they are the boss of everything? except drug cheats in their own country.
It always amazes me how Americans keep thinking they are the center of the universe, especially these days when America empire is crumbling due to the incompetence and corruption of their leaders.
American hate is so wild imho
Judging by recent daily events, not as much hate as Americans hate themselves.
this whole article is about US not accepting the decision handed down. Of course the negative comments come across like American hate.
Crumbling? Refresh your newsfeed. I ran through the obits of a half dozen newspapers this morning and didn’t see the U.S.A. listed.
Well, considering how much of the world still comes to us for assistance, both financially and militarily, I would say we’re pretty close to the center
Which countries come to the US for financial assistance?
Last time I checked, China gave much more financial assistance to a lot more countries than the US.
Also, the much of the world doesn’t come to the US for military assistance.
Relax.
Katie McLaughlin is one of the coolest people, period, I have ever met; she has one of the most beautiful freestyles you’ll ever see, too. I hope China is brought to justice and Katie McL and the other US girls can be given the gold they deserve
can we move on already I dont feel like rehashing the same arguments from last year..
Just ban China. Have been cheating for years.
Search for stories about Lance Armstrong, Gatlin, Lewis, Erriyon Knighton… And Team USA’s TUE history
Americans dont count these ones. Pretty sure Gatlin was celebrated after a drug ban.
But.. but.. Lance.
Ah, the “tu quoque”. Irrelevant.
More American athletes have been doping than Chinese athletes.
source?