Chinese swimmer denies cheating amid Olympics doping scandal

Zhang Yufei denies any wrongdoing after being named as one of 23 female swimmers China who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the Olympic Games in 2021. She also says the country has increased drug testing for this year’s Games to ensure its athletes are clean.

Her comments mark the first time a member of the Chinese contingent has addressed the ongoing scandal in Paris and there is no way of knowing whether she is telling the truth.

The discussion follows a massive cover-up that began three years ago. In April, it was revealed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Chinese Anti-Doping Agency officials had failed to make public positive doping test results from 2021. Twenty-three Chinese Olympic swimmers tested positive for powerful performance-enhancing drugs on the eve of the Tokyo Games. Their results were secretly covered up by China and the international governing body.

Yufei was one of those 23 swimmers. However, she blamed the positive test on food contamination and said the Chinese government does not allow athletes to voluntarily dope.

“I don’t think any athlete, Chinese or not, would want to destroy the work he has accumulated every day over the years on doping.”

—Zhang Yufei

The United States has been extremely critical of WADA, World Aquatics and China in recent days, weeks and months. Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel spoke out directly against the doping scandal in a public forum upon their arrival in Paris. Other countries have followed suit, including Australia.

Is China Clean for the Olympics?

Yufei claims that the positive test in 2021 was not a problem then and that doping is not a problem now. She said Chinese athletes have been tested for banned substances 20 to 30 times in the past two months to ensure they are clean for the Olympics. If true, that is great news. “If” is the operative word.

Regardless, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the Chinese team. They got away with 23 positive tests at the last Olympics. Who’s to say that won’t happen again?

Yufei insists that everything is up to standard. She hopes that other athletes (and spectators) will not view China as a cheat.

“I really hope that no one will look at the Chinese swimming team with tinted glasses. Before last year, and before the scandal broke out, I got along very well with competitors from other countries. Now, at the Olympics, I am really afraid that my good friends will look at me differently, that they will not want to compete with me or watch me compete.”

—Zhang Yufei

Given everything that has happened in recent months, since 2021 in reality, Yufei’s concerns are well-founded. There is a mental asterisk next to China until there are answers.