Daily Times

The anti-doping authorities of Britain and Australia have called for a review of WADA’s processes following the global body’s widely-criticised handling of failed drug tests in Chinese swimming.

WADA has been under fire since confirming media reports that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Games.

China’s anti-doping agency cleared the swimmers of wrongdoing before Tokyo, deciding they had tested positive after being exposed to the substance through contamination from the kitchen of a hotel where they were staying. The case file was made available to WADA’s science department which determined the contamination scenario was not only plausible but that there was no concrete element to call it into question.

Both UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) called on WADA to “initiate an independent review of the regulatory framework and processes applied” in separate statements on Thursday.

“We hope that WADA, by expediting this process, can help ensure trust and confidence is restored in anti-doping worldwide, and clean athletes can continue to be protected and championed,” UKAD said.