Doping in American athletes: When sport and geopolitics collide

On Thursday, August 1, Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle set a new world record by winning the men’s 100m freestyle final in 46.40 minutes. That got applause, but everything to do with boos and doping. We had previously published an article on this.

America vs China

During the Covid crisis, many Chinese athletes, including Zhanle, tested positive. Since the positive tests could be the result of food contamination, they were released.

The United States (US) has strongly criticized the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for this decision. Although no athlete was subject to more doping restrictions than the Chinese swimmers during these Olympic Games, suspicions persisted.

However, the US seems to have overplayed its hand a bit. Now, serious allegations are being made against American athletes from China. At least three athletes have been caught doping in the United States, and now it appears they have been exonerated and allowed to continue to perform.

It was done under the guise of a race confidentialOperation, in which these athletes worked with the US Anti-Doping Agency to gather information after their positive tests. Wada, Ignorance of these facts now suggests that the system is against the rules and threatens the integrity of the game.

Sports and Geopolitics

Tensions between China and the United States in the field of sports go hand-in-hand with rising geopolitical tensions between the two superpowers, and show striking similarities.

Called America for many years Rule-based order Imposed on the world, it determined the rules that everyone had to abide by, but she herself broke more than once. Officially the rules apply to everyone, but in practice mainly to others.

China’s economic rise and the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) behind it are tilting global relations, which means that countries in the South no longer accept the dictates imposed by the United States.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, people dared to ask aloud why they should participate in the sanctions against Russia, while the US gained independence after its illegal invasion of Iraq. The same is happening in sports now.

“America should not play doping sheriff because it is the most doping country”

“The US is very lax in monitoring its professional athletes,” explains Hans Vandeweghe, a sports journalist at De Morgan. “Even though 70 percent of their athletes come from there, they have little or no control at the college level.”

Vandeweg says the criticism isn’t just coming from China. “It’s a criticism,” he says, “from around the world saying: America shouldn’t play doping sheriff, because it’s a country where doping is high and it’s under-regulated. The world is right about that.”