Following a report from the New York Times, the World Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed that 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games despite testing positive for a banned substance. And it sounds like the FBI is investigating how this was allowed to occur.
The WADA allowed the athletes to compete without penalty as the organization accepted an explanation from China that the athletes accidentally ingested small amounts of the drug which led to a positive test. But according to the New York Times, the FBI is now investigating this whole situation further.
“The F.B.I. learned in the past year about the positive tests, the Chinese rationale for clearing the athletes of wrongdoing, and the inaction by WADA, according to two people familiar with the matter and a document examined by The Times,” the New York Times reported this week.
“Federal investigators have taken steps in recent weeks to learn more about what occurred. A spokesman for the F.B.I. declined to comment. Any inquiry by the American authorities would come with a powerful new tool: a law passed in 2020 giving the Justice Department powers to criminally prosecute attempts to corrupt international sports events through doping, no matter where they take place.”
It will certainly be interesting to learn what the FBI ultimately learns about the situation.
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