Michael Phelps, Allison Schmitt Slam WADA At U.S. Congressional Hearing

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

American swimming legends Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt put the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on blast and urged Congress to implement change to the organization with “deeply rooted systemic problems.”

Phelps and Schmitt testified at a United States Congressional hearing before the House Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation on Tuesday in Washington, describing the lengths they went to in order to compete fairly while putting WADA under fire for its lack of transparency, among other things.

Both Phelps and Schmitt took aim at WADA over its handling of the Chinese doping scandal that broke in April, when it was revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in early 2021 and yet were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games—and the positive tests were never reported by WADA.

Less than two weeks ago, it was reported that three Chinese swimmers tested positive for another banned substance, clenbuterol, in 2016 and 2017, and two of them went on to become Olympic champions in Tokyo.

“We need to hold them responsible,” Phelps said of WADA, noting that its handling of the Chinese case showed any reform made to the agency to implement positive change have missed the mark.

“It is clear to me that any attempts of reform at WADA have fallen short, and there are still deeply rooted systemic problems that prove detrimental to the integrity of international sports and athletes’ right to fair competition, time and time again,” Phelps said.

“I urge Congress to use its considerable leverage with WADA to make the organization independent and effective. It can’t reasonably be a coincidence that WADA has yet again succumbed to the pressures of international sport to do the expedient at the expense of the athlete.”

The 38-year-old Phelps said that “close friends” were potentially impacted by the decision to allow swimmers who tested positive to compete in Tokyo.

“As athletes, our faith can no longer be blindly placed in the World Anti-Doping Agency, an organization that continuously proves that it is either incapable or unwilling to enforce its policies consistently around the world.”

Schmitt, 34, was a member of the American women’s 800 free relay in Tokyo that won silver behind the world record-setting Chinese team that included two swimmers who tested positive.

“We raced hard. We followed every protocol and accepted our defeat with grace. Three years later, news surfaced that some Chinese athletes on that team were not subjected to the same anti-doping rules, casting doubt on the fairness of the competition. With these revelations, many of us will be haunted by this podium finish that may have been impacted by doping,” Schmitt said.

“I plead, on behalf of US athletes: hold WADA and the global anti-doping system accountable. If we win, let it be because we earned it. And if we lose, let it be because the competition was fair. We need the International Olympic Committee, NBC, sponsors, and fans to demand integrity in our sport.”

A 10-time Olympic medalist and four-time U.S. Olympian, Schmitt also spoke to the negative effect the doubt surrounding WADA’s credibility has had on the current crop of American swimmers heading to Paris to compete next month after she was in attendance at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

“As recently as last week at the US Swimming Olympic Trials, I witnessed the frustration and disappointment of young athletes whose confidence in the anti-doping system has been shattered,” she said. “They deserve better. They deserve a level playing field where success is determined by talent, hard work and dedication – not by banned substances.”

SwimSwam: Michael Phelps, Allison Schmitt Slam WADA At U.S. Congressional Hearing