Following the Chinese Swimming Federation’s announcement of its 31-man roster for the 2024 Olympic Games, Australian head coach Rohan Taylor He spoke to the press about the looming doping scandal surrounding the Asian country.
As we reported, 11 of China’s newly named Paris roster were among 23 athletes who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) at the start of the calendar year in 2021, about seven months before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The swimmers were not sanctioned by China’s anti-doping agency CHINADA, as traces of TMZ were reportedly found present in the hotel where the swimmers stayed. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) supported China’s decision.
Taylor told National Radio that although the situation may be on the minds of athletes and coaches with the start of the swimming competitions next month in Paris, ABC, “I think for us, internally, we can only control what we can control.
“The narrative is crystal clear, and that’s all we can do. We have to trust that WADA and World Aquatics will continue to investigate, and that we stand for clean sport.
“That’s where we are at the moment, and we’ll continue to monitor that, but as much as it distracts us in the competition, I think it’s not something that can be controlled for us.
“For it to be a distraction, I think it would probably be a waste of energy.”
“I look at it like we’re going in and competing,” Taylor continued.
“If someone’s not doing the right thing, hopefully the system will catch them and that’s basically how we work, because our guys are getting tested all the time as well, so we’re in the same boat.”
Key Australian matches include against the Chinese Emma McKeown seizes Zhang Yufei In the 100 meter fly Zach Staplety Cook Duel with Chen Haiyang In the men’s 200 meter breaststroke.
