Years of accusations of doping shattered renowned Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps' mental health, he told Congress on Tuesday, and now he believes Chinese athletes are taking advantage of an unfair system by doing just that.
'The constant suspicion of doping deeply eroded the mental state it took a lifetime to build while competing at the highest levels,' Phelps revealed.
Phelps and swimmer Allison Schmidt were testifying before the House subcommittee about a doping case it is probing involving Chinese swimmers ahead of the Paris Olympics in August.
The pair tore into the international agency charged with making sure athletes are not using drugs to give themselves an unfair advantage before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The accusations of doping shattered renowned Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps ' mental health, he told Congress on Tuesday, and now he believes Chinese athletes are taking advantage of an unfair system
'As athletes, our faith can no longer be blindly placed in the world of anti doping agency, an organization that continues to prove that it is either incapable or unwilling to enforce its policies consistently around the world,' Phelps said.
'We need to hold them responsible,' he went on.
With 28 medals to his name, Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. Schmitt has won 10 medals over four games. Neither he nor Schmitt is set to compete in Paris.
He said that in 2016, he took 150 drug tests - while some entire nation's delegations took just 30 to 40.
The primetime hearing comes two months after the World Anti-Doping Agency found that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned drug found in heart medication, before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The drug helps with 'cardiac efficiency.'
The revelation of the alleged cover-up was made by German broadcaster ARD.
CHINADA, China's anti-doping agency, claimed the swimmers had been inadvertently exposed because of contamination in a hotel and that they should not be held liable for the positive results.
In response WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, said they had accepted Chinese officials' decision to clear the swimmers, claiming their food had been contaminated.
But WADA have since said they were unable to conduct their own investigations on the ground at the time because of Covid.
'The constant suspicion of doping deeply eroded the mental state it took a lifetime to build while competing at the highest levels,' Phelps revealed
Phelps and swimmer Allison Schmidt were testifying before the House subcommittee about a doping case it is probing involving Chinese swimmers ahead of the Paris Olympics in August.
Athletes across the globe remain skeptical - and question why China did not disclose at the time that its swimmers had been exposed.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency issued a scathing attack on the World Anti-Doping Agency following the latter's assertion on Monday that they would 'not do anything different' in their handling of the affair.
Two of the Chinese swimmers went on to win gold medals. Schmitt said her relay team took silver to China's gold in an 800 meter freestyle relay in the Tokyo Olympics four years ago, separated by a fourth of a second. Now they'll never know if those athletes shouldn't have won because of doping.
'We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol. We respected their performance and accepted our defeat,' Schmitt said. 'But now, learning that the Chinese relay consisted of athletes who had not served a suspension, I look back with doubt. We may never know the truth and that may haunt many of us for years.'
Skepticism of WADA's assertion was bipartisan.
'Americans do not like cheaters, and they do not they will not tolerate organizations that give cheaters a pass,' said Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, Fla.
'We need to know ... is China paying WADA to look the other way?'
Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers noted that the U.S. gives WADA $3 million per year and yet it refused to appear before the committee's hearing.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart called WADA's China backing 'outrageous' - and noted China had paid $1.8 million more than its required dues since 2018.
Tygart said at WADA Russia and China get 'a different set of rules' than the rest of the world.
