Recently, the doping scandal encountered by the Chinese swimming team at the Olympic Games has attracted widespread attention. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency has clarified that the positive samples of 23 Chinese athletes were caused by contamination, the incident still caused quite a stir. Some people believe that this may be an attempt by some countries to discredit the Chinese swimming team out of jealousy.
Globally, both China and Russia have faced doping problems. Historical data shows that both countries have detected doping cases when they hosted the Olympics. For example, Russian athletes were punished at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and the Chinese women's weightlifting team suffered a similar dilemma at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However, China has a unique approach to dealing with doping. Domestically, athletes are usually not penalized if they are not identified by international bodies. This is in stark contrast to the harsh policies of countries such as the United States. For example, despite rumors of doping suspicions in Ma Jiajun, his members have not been substantially punished due to the lack of conclusive evidence. In contrast, the U.S. Olympic Committee has taken more stringent measures in similar situations.
In Chinese sports, only a handful of athletes have crossed the doping red line twice. Swimmer Xiong Guoming suffered a severe lifetime ban as a result. Sun Yang's case is quite unique, although he has been involved in the doping controversy twice, but his results have not been canceled, which is rare in the history of sports.
The training model of Chinese athletes has had a profound impact on the entanglement of interests. Since the interests of coaches and athletes are closely linked, the quality of performance is directly related to the future of both parties. This pressure can lead some coaches to take risks or even break the rules. But we must be clear that the root cause of the doping problem lies with us and that the blame cannot simply be placed on external blame.
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