Lilly King ‘Not Confident’ in Clean Olympic Field after China Doping Revelation

by Matthew De George - Senior Writer

12 May 2024, 12:52pm

Lilly King ‘Not Confident’ in Clean Olympic Field after China Doping Revelation

Lilly King, long an outspoken critic of the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports, told the New York Times on Sunday that she is “not confident” in the sports’ anti-doping process.

King spoke to the Times, which was one of the outlets that broke news last month that the World Anti-Doping Agency had cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping positives in early 2021. WADA assented to the finding of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency that the positives were due to environmental contamination of trimetazidine in a hotel kitchen, allowing them to compete at the Tokyo Olympics later that year.

“I am not confident when I get up on the blocks that the people to my right and my left are clean,” King told the Times. “And that’s really unfortunate, because that’s not something I should have to focus on while racing at the Olympics.”

King has been a long-time critic of failures in the anti-doping apparatus. One of her longtime rivals was Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, who swam at the 2016 Olympics despite a failed drug test. She has registered criticism of FINA’s handling of the Sun Yang case, and she and Katie Ledecky were among the American swimmers who stepped up to participate in and vouch for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s new program of remote testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, wary that it might present an opportunity for bad actors. (Lockdown-related restrictions were specifically cited by WADA and CHINADA in deviating from established procedures in the Chinese case.)

King’s response fits with how the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has assailed WADA for its handling of the Chinese case.

Read the full story here.

Read more:

• American Swimmers Told of Chinese Doping Violations at Tokyo Olympics
• 23 Chinese Swimmers Cleared To Compete At Tokyo Olympics Where Some Won Gold Despite Positive Drug Tests: Reports
• WADA Releases Statement on Chinese Doping Positives; Threatens Legal Action
• Column: Lack of Transparency in Chinese Doping Tests a Glaring Failure of Anti-Doping Authorities
• ‘What happened to strict liability?’ Adam Peaty Hits Back at WADA over Chinese Doping
• USADA CEO Travis Tygart Blasts WADA’s ‘Defense Tactics’ as It Threatens Legal Action
• USA Swimming, Swimming Australia Respond to Chinese Doping Revelation
• Column: As Chinese Doping Controversy Rages, Clean Swimmers Rightfully Angry About ‘Irreparable Damage’
• ‘We Would Do Exactly the Same Thing:’ WADA Answers Questions on Chinese Doping Case
• WADA Says ‘Athletes Should Not Have Concerns’ Over Chinese Doping Case
• Aquatics GB Respond To Chinese Doping Controversy, Points To “Potential Loss Of Trust”
• Adam Peaty Demands “Full Transparency” Amid Chinese Doping Controversy Before Eyeing Three-Peat(y) In Paris
• WADA Appoints Independent Prosecutor to Review Handling of China Doping
• WADA Releases Fact Sheet on Chinese Doping Violations
• ARD Delves Further Into Questions on Chinese Anti-Doping Case
• USADA Says WADA ‘Trying to Pull The Wool Over Our Eyes’ With Independent Investigation

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Kanga1

21 days ago

Totally agree with her comments and view.
To me its not at all credible that two dozen elite Chinese swimmers all have fallen victim to a banned heart medication from contaminated food in a kitchen.
Utter nonsense!
Then there’s the double standards of WADA in its treatment of a monied Chinese system in comparison to swimmers from other countries who are immediately banned and ostracised by WADA!
The Chinese athletes are unfortunately the new East Germans!

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