“If you know you’re cheating, then you’re not really winning,” said British Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty after arriving at fourth place with his team in the 4x100m medley.

His comments were directed at the winners of said race, the Chinese team, specifically at Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiaju, who were among 11 swimmers allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics despite having previously tested positive for trace amounts of performance enhancing drugs.

This is not the first time China’s swimmers have been enveloped in controversy surrounding doping, as the pair are only two out of 23 of that nation’s athletes who tested positive for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

“One of my favorite quotes I’ve seen lately is that there’s no point winning if you’re not winning fair,” Peaty said in an interview with Sky News when asked about Qin. “I think you know that truth in your heart.”

British Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty questioned the legitimacy of China’s victory in the men’s 4×100 meters medley relay over doping concerns

Image credits: Rooney/Getty

Qin and Sun were allowed to compete on the basis that the traces found were due to unknowingly ingesting the drugs via contaminated food.

“For me, if you’ve been on [performance enhancers] and you have been ‘contaminated’ twice, I think as an honorable person you should be out of the sport,” Peaty stated.

“I don’t want to paint a whole nation or group of people with one brush, I think that’s very unfair. But there have been two cases of it and it’s very disappointing,” he explained.

“The Americans have been very vocal. We didn’t want to get distracted with that. What I’ve said from the start is that it’s fraud. If you’re cheating, it’s fraud.”

The British star and his teammates Oliver Morgan, Duncan Scott and Matt Richards stated that they don’t trust the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to properly do their job in their current state.

“We’ve got to have faith in the system, but we don’t,” Peaty said. “It’s just got to be stricter. What I’ve said from the start is that it is fraud. If you’re cheating, it is fraud.”

Image credits: adam_peaty

Athletes from other countries shared Peaty’s sentiment. 

Nic Fink, a member of the US team, called for more clarity and transparency amid the controversy.

“We know the International Testing Agency (ITA) is testing everybody all the time. They have been testing a lot here, which is good. But when a bunch of anti-doping agencies say: ‘Hey, what was the process here, how did that work?’, it raises red flags.”

“So we just want more clarity and transparency. Nothing against the athletes competing. It’s a question about the system. Hopefully it gets ironed out because it just seems like there is cycle after cycle of concerns and questions.”

Katie Ledecky, a member of the US women’s swimming team, also expressed her concern and stated that, “in this instance, it doesn’t seem like everything was followed to a T.” 

“So, I’d like to see some accountability here. I’d like to see some answers as to why this happened the way it did. And I’d really like to see that steps are taken for the future, so that we can regain some confidence in the global system,” she added.

Qin Haiyang and his team had previously responded to the allegations by labeling them as “tricks” aiming to disrupt their preparation and psychological mindset.

Image credits: adam_peaty

“When you have a clear conscience, you do not fear slander. The team is currently preparing at the established pace. My team-mates and I will resist the pressure and win more medals to silence the skeptics,” he said according to Dailymail.

Back in 2021, a report by the New York Times claimed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had taken no action after 23 Chinese swimmers, Haiyang among them, had tested positive for a combination of Clenbuterol and Trimetazidine.

The substances are usually utilized to treat respiratory and pectoral problems like angina pectoris and asthma. According to the National Institute of Health, both substances improve respiratory and circulatory functions, with Clenbuterol having some mild anabolic effects and allowing athletes to conserve their musculature when trying to lose fat.

After winning the 2024 Olympic gold at the event, Haiyang once again denied any usage of performance enhancers.

“We did it! Olympic champion! Any doubt is just a joke. Stress will only make us stronger,” he said.

Image credits: adam_peaty

Haylang’s controversy comes just days after Team China’s Pan Zhanle, who won the 100m freestyle, broke his own world record by 0.4 of a second, on Wednesday (July 31.)

The 19-year-old Chinese athlete reportedly “demolished” Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers, whom he finished a whole second ahead of, prompting veteran competitors like Australia’s Brett Hawke to question the legitimacy of his victory.

“It is not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length. I don’t care what you say,” Hawke stated on an Instagram post.

The British star revealed he might not be competing anymore after declaring that recent health concerns and injuries have taken a significant toll on his ability to perform

Image credits: www.instagram.com

Peaty, who had struggled with his health after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday (July 29), insisted his grievances were not a result of finishing fourth and instead pointed towards a long-running trend of mistrust against the WADA.

“They need to do their job – wake up and do your job. I think we have to have faith in the system. But we currently don’t. I think it’s got to be stricter,” he added.

The 29-year-old athlete also expressed doubts on his continued participation in the sport.

“Tomorrow is never promised and if my heart wants it my heart wants it and I will sign that contract with myself to do it. But that could be a long way away, but I think I’ve got to step away from the sport because it hurt too much this time,” he added.

Upon hearing of the swimmer’s concerns, netizens also expressed their doubts on the drug-testing policies of the WADA and the International Olympics Committee, calling for more transparency in future editions of the event.

Image credits: Adam Pretty/Getty

Image credits: Al Bello/Getty

“He has a point. They have tested positive for PEDs before and are still allowed to compete because of the excuse they got it from eating a burger. I mean, it’s the kind of excuse a kid would try for something.”

“The Olympics are a farce these days. The noble principles of goals upon which the games were founded have been long abandoned. I really don’t think they are worth bothering with any more. It’s all about money (for the IOC and officials) and winning at all costs.”

“They are tested but it is very easy to evade detection if they know what they are doing and many use extreme measures. On top of that, many athletes are able to legally access PEDs by claiming medical conditions. Amazing how many Olympic cyclists are listed as certified asthmatics so they get steroid inhalers!”

“Superiority complex,” stated fans of the Asian competitors, dismissing Peaty’s complaints as the result of his defeat rather than genuine concerns about fairness

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