By Ian Ransom
PARIS (Reuters) - Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook called on anti-doping authorities to be consistent in handling cases of contamination for failed drug tests in the wake of a doping storm involving the Chinese swim team.
The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported in April that 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive earlier in the year for heart medication trimetazidine, a drug banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
WADA confirmed that 23 tested positive but not named any of them. It accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the test results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen the team were staying at.
Stubblety-Cook, who took the 200m breaststroke silver medal at Paris three years after taking gold at Tokyo, said the China case was hard to swallow given Australia's strict handling of teammate Shayna Jack's positive test for Ligandrol, a banned anabolic agent.
"We all have to conform to the same rules, right? So it's just very conflicting with what we have to do versus what happened," the 25-year-old told Reuters on Monday.
"It's as simple as that. Shayna Jack had her contamination case and was run through the wringer."
Australian freestyle swimmer Jack, who denied intentionally taking Ligandrol, served a two-year ban and had to miss the Tokyo Games.
Australia's anti-doping authority and WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a four-year ban for Jack but the court upheld the two-year suspension and found she had not "intentionally or recklessly" taken Ligandrol.
"It was terrible what happened to her. She got let off (by CAS) but it still took two years. She couldn't train with anyone for two years," added Stubblety-Cook.
"Whereas, like here, we have them test positive, 23 athletes in the same group of testing. It's pretty tough to swallow.
"Imagine 23 of the Australians testing positive?"
China's Olympic team in Paris did not provide immediate comment.
An independent investigation last month ruled WADA did not mishandle or show favouritism in the case of the 23 Chinese swimmers.
China was thrust back into the doping spotlight last week when the New York Times reported that two of its swimmers in 2022 had tested positive for a banned steroid but had their provisional bans lifted when the results were blamed on contaminated food.
One of those two swimmers according to the Times report was competing at Paris.
WADA concluded there was no evidence to challenge the contaminated meat scenario.
China's anti-doping agency (CHINADA) accused the U.S. newspaper of politicising doping issues and said the publication was trying to "affect the psychology" of China's athletes in Paris.
China is not alone in exonerating athletes due to contamination.
American world silver medallist and sprinter Erriyon Knighton was not suspended for testing positive for a banned substance, trenbolone, earlier this year after an arbitrator found the result was likely caused by contaminated meat.
Stubblety-Cook questioned whether the WADA code's principle of "strict liability" held much weight any more.
Under the principle, an anti-doping rule violation occurs whether or not an athlete intentionally uses a banned substance.
"That's what we have to abide by," said Stubblety-Cook.
"That is all over the world for us -- what you put in your mouth is your responsibility. As simple as that."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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