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Perhaps that is the true definition of pragmatism — an ability to deceive oneself and so turn one’s back on principle, law or custom if they stand in the way of what one wants.”

― Julian Rathbone, The Last English King as well as author of Watching the Detectives.

A representative from the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) called out the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) over its double-standard approach to doping.

Twenty-year-old American sprinter Erriyon Knighton tested positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone, which is used to grow larger cattle in US farming. Knighton’s defence was that he consumed contaminated meat. USADA agreed and he is at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games heading into the final of the 200-metre sprint.

China had 23 swimmers all test positive for the same performance-enhancing drug, trimetazidine. Prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the positive test results were kept secret and recently it was revealed. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has defended the outcome, and USADA has in turn lashed out at WADA. And WADA retaliated.


On Wednesday, Aug. 7 Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times called for closer scrutiny of American athletes, including the release of sample concentrations and third-party tests.

Both countries have a long history of doping.

Ma’s Army
Ma Junren was a Chinese track coach. He trained several world-class middle and long-distance female runners including Wang Junxia and Qu Yunxia, who held several world records.

There have been allegations that he dispensed performance-enhancing drugs as part of the Ma’s Army training program. Junren denied this, although six of his athletes were among 27 competitors dropped from China’s team for the Sydney Olympic Games after testing positive. As a result, he was dropped as coach from the Chinese Olympic team in athletics. Junren and his entire team of athletes disappeared for several months, which raised eyebrows.

Some of Ma’s Army athletes have come out to admit that they were forced to take PEDs. Junxia said that she went to the Chinese media, and a story was prepared for release, however, the journalist decided to not publish it over safety concerns. It was hidden for years and revealed in 2016. News Reports surfaced in 2016 that 10 of the country’s Olympic champions and world record holders said they were part of a state-sponsored doping program. The letter apparently from Wang Junxia, (with nine other signatories), alleged that the athletes had been forced to take drugs. Their performances, mostly from within China were off the charts ahead of the rest of the world.

Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO)
While the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) was not state-sponsored as Ma’s Army allegedly was, or the Russian doping fiasco that led to a nationwide ban, it was at least as effective in helping athletes cheat. Marion Jones was ousted from the sport, once one of the greatest sprinters. Barry Bonds from Major League Baseball was implicated, however, neither tested positive as far as anyone knows. Victor Conte, the brains behind the operation fully admitted to supplying a number of athletes with a variety of PEDs including Lance Armstrong, who also never tested positive, but admitted to doping for years.

Other notable athletes caught up in the BALCO scandal were sprinter Dwain Chambers, shot putter Kevin Toth, middle-distance runner Regina Jacobs, the NFL’s Bill Romanowski, Jason Giambi from MLB and Tim Montgomery also a sprinter.

Both nations have a history of doping and red flag moments.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
In 2024, the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency operates on a budget of $53 million USD. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) contribution of $25 million is matched by national governments based on the ability to pay. For example, the US would pay much more than the tiny Dominican Republic, Canada would pay more than Tanzania, and Russia would pay more than Belarus, however, the latter two are currently banned due to the war in Ukraine and have been banned in the past for proven systematic doping.

Does the IOC have too much influence over WADA? There are concerns that this may be the case. There is no proof, however, the organization is a behemoth and to a degree a law unto itself.

The Rodchenkov Act
The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act was officially signed into United States law in 2020.

The Act gives US officials the power to prosecute individuals for doping and related acts during international sports competitions that involve American athletes.


The Act made it through the US Senate in November. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law on Friday, December 4.

The Act is named after the Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who is currently living in the US in exile or government protection. He was one of the primary people who enabled doping, covered up positive tests and operated the Sochi Winter Olympic and Moscow Laboratories. He played a role in the Oscar-winning documentary Icarus.

The Act gives prosecutors the ability to seek fines of up to $1 million. The Rodchenkov Act also allows the US to seek prison sentences of up to 10 years for doping when involving US athletes.

Chinese criminal law for sports doping
China’s anti-doping legislation formed an anti-doping legal system based on the Sports Law of the People’s Republic of China which is named The Sports Law. The Sports Law is supported by a series of administrative regulations and departmental rules, which include the Anti-Doping Regulations issued by the State Council, the Anti-Doping Rules, and the Measures for Anti-Doping Administration issued by the General Administration of Sport of China.

The Sports Law uses the amendments to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China for trying and prosecuting doping crimes. The Anti-Doping chapter to the revised Sports Law is not officially in force at this time. However, a modernized arbitration process was put into law in 2022. While absolutely binding in its decisions, arbitration both in commercial and civil law are made public in-camera.

To attempt to eradicate doping from sport, Kenya, the US (Rodchenkov Act), China and a few other countries have brought sports doping into the umbrella of civil law.

Goldman’s dilemma
Physician Bob Goldman asked the question to elite athletes whether they would take a drug that would guarantee them success in sport, but cause them to die after five years. In his research, as in previous research by Dr. Mirkin, half the athletes responded that they would take the drug. Other polls have been taken that have yielded smaller numbers. The issue is that some athletes are willing to risk their lives for glory. This is a dilemma for every clean athlete.

While the 23 Chinese swimmers who allegedly tested positive for the same drug before Tokyo or Knighton who tested positive for a steroid commonly found in US beef is not so much the question worth asking; its a drop in the bucket.

But the answer resolves around human will. How badly does one want to win? Bad enough to do anything to cheat? Never underestimate the man who has nothing to lose, so look to Kenya for a representative case and the answer.

Kenya’s dilemma
During the men’s 1500-metre final in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the athlete who finished dead last was Kenyan. The athlete who finished second to last is Kenyan. This is a complete reversal of fortunes. Kenyans are used to dominating middle and long-distance running. Timothy Cheruiyot finished in 11th place in the time of 3:31.35, while Brian Komen clocked a pedestrian 3:35.59.

Komen owns a best of 3:28.80 from July 2024. Cheruiyot owns a best of 3:28.71 also from July. He is also the 2019 Doha World Athletics champion and silver medallist from the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

American Cole Hocker, who typically finishes in fifth, or seventh place at global championships improved his personal best by three seconds to win the gold medal in the 1500m final where the Kenyans finished last. He clocked a 3:27.65 performance. How did this complete reversal of fortunes happen? The fine details of which could be pored over by analysts and prognosticators. But lets start with Kenya being labelled as a Category A country on the WADA list. Therefore are tested out of competition more than a non-Category A country. Currently, nearly 100 Kenyan athletes have been suspended. Perhaps doping has been curtailed in the country. At the end of the day, winning a big race for a Kenyan athlete or any so-called “third-world athlete” can provide a windfall beyond any other measure. They chase the money, there is nothing more to it.

When the WADA decided to put resources into out-of-competition testing in Kenya, the doping positives increased greatly and what once was considered a nation of natural athletes who live close to the earth, eat healthily and live at altitude — therefore are born to run — turns out to be a fairy tale. A lie.

Ethiopia could stand to become a Category A country and its athletes be tested out-of-competition too.

Meanwhile, the sporting world is distracted by the war of words between China, the USA and WADA
It takes two to tango. The two powerful countries whose medal tallies top the leaderboard in Paris at 1-2 distrust each other’s successes. WADA could, in theory, be influenced by the IOC and their large $25 million annual contribution.

WADA is on the Western world’s radar for supporting China’s defence of their 23 swimmers testing positive for the same drug.

Chinese anti-doping officials determined that the positive findings resulted from contamination of food the swimmers ate and did not sanction or suspend any of the athletes. WADA agreed with the Chinese group and the athletes were allowed to compete in Tokyo.

It now turns out that in previous years, three of those athletes had tested positive for another banned substance, clenbuterol, which has similar effects to that of a steroid by boosting muscle.

New doping positives will be revealed
There is a statute of limitations on re-testing blood and urine samples of eight years from global championships. Tokyo was only three years before Paris. Between Tokyo and Paris, there were two World Championships one in Eugene and Budapest, each. Leading up to Tokyo, the positive test results on re-tests from the 2012 London Games increased, as testing practices evolved and improved. Medals were re-allocated and names were announced. This is the new reality.


The next step is to give lifetime bans immediately to athletes who test positive for certain drugs in both their A and B samples. Their performances should be wiped from databases as if they never existed, money (which is nigh impossible to retrieve) should be returned, and national bans (like Russia’s) should become more commonplace.

Meanwhile, China and the USA keep the subject of doping top of mind, while they accuse each other of a conflict of interest monitoring doping cases of their own athletes. Automatically, another entity should be involved in investigating a national anti-doping agency, attending to their own athlete’s positive test results. Perhaps USADA plus the sport’s authority, for example, USADA plus the Athletics Integrity Unit. In fairness, there should be a Swimming Integrity Unit. Therefore it would be CHINADA plus the Swimming Integrity Unit.

But, this begs the question, who will be watching the detectives?

此博文来自论坛版块：美国新闻（USA News）