The bizarre reason China is blaming Australia after two of its star swimmers failed drug tests
- China blames Australian beef for failed drug tests
- Two swimmers tested positive for a steroid in 2022
- WADA accepted their explanation and imposed a 12-month suspension on them
Australian beef is reportedly the source of two top Chinese swimmers testing positive for steroids two years ago.
According to News CorpChina’s state security services have tested beef imports from Australia, sparking surprise among meat industry officials Down Under.
The two stars were given only 12-month bans and their positive doping tests were kept secret from the swimming world, leading to questions from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Australia has strongly condemned China’s history of drug use in swimming, leading to intrigue around the beef argument against Australian meat suppliers.
A statement from Meat and Livestock Australia said: ‘Menthandienone is not used in any way in Australian beef production or in any veterinary medicine.’
It is not yet clear whether Australian beef producers have been questioned as part of WADA’s broader investigation into what hormones their cattle are being fed.
Swimmers have lost confidence in the system of doping controls. According to Zac Stubblety-Cook, a candidate for the 200m breaststroke, the athletes have ‘failed’.
Kate Ledecky, superstar of the US team, was less than impressed with China’s apology.
China has blamed Australia for two of its swimming stars failing drug tests
Chinese claim contaminated Australian beef is to blame for failed drug tests
Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook says he has lost confidence in the doping testing system
She said: ‘I read the report this morning. I think I’ve made my thoughts pretty clear. It’s disappointing.’
Australian 4x200m relay swimmer Tommy Neill said: “Oh mate, it’s always frustrating to hear about it, but you know, the four of us were out here this morning doing a job on our relay and we don’t think about it, we just worry about ourselves.”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Chinese athletes had been tested 600 times since January and urged critics to let WADA “do its job”.
According to the New York Times, the two positive tests in 2022 found the steroid metendienone.
China could not prove where the drug came from, but WADA and World Aquatics accepted the explanation that it probably came from contamination through a lunch of hamburgers, fries and soft drinks consumed at a restaurant near their training base in Beijing.