China Faces Doping Allegations... Tokyo Olympics Women's 4x200m Relay Gold Stripped

Australian Media "Chinese Swimmer Tests Positive for Banned Substances"
Will the US, Australia, and Canada Get Their Lost Medals Back?

China has been embroiled in allegations that it sent swimmers who failed doping tests to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, raising reports that the women's 4x200m freestyle relay gold medal could be stripped.

On the 20th, Australian newspaper The Herald Sun reported, "More than 20 Chinese swimmers who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 tested positive for banned substances before the competition."

Chinese national team that won first place in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Swimming specialist media SwimSwam also reported, "American swimmers who competed in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics were notified by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that 'China was stripped of the gold medal due to doping violations by a relay team member. The United States will inherit the gold medal.'" They added, "It is unknown which Chinese athlete violated doping regulations, but if even one relay member violates the rules, the medal is forfeited."

During the Tokyo Olympics women's 4x200m freestyle relay, China competed in the order of Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei, and Li Bingjie, setting a world record at the time with 7 minutes 40.33 seconds and winning the event. Dong Jie and Zhang Yifan also participated in the preliminaries. If even one of the six athletes violates doping regulations, the record will be annulled and the medal revoked.

In the final, the United States finished second with 7 minutes 40.73 seconds, Australia third with 7 minutes 41.29 seconds, and Canada fourth with 7 minutes 43.77 seconds. Although the United States, Australia, and Canada set national records, China's record was so outstanding that they missed out on the gold.

If the doping violation by the Chinese relay team is confirmed, the United States will inherit the gold medal, with Australia and Canada receiving the silver and bronze medals respectively.

So far, the International Olympic Committee, International Swimming Federation, World Anti-Doping Agency, and other related organizations have not issued any response to these allegations. Apart from The Herald Sun and SwimSwam, no other media outlets have covered this issue.

At the Tokyo Olympics swimming events, China won six medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).

If the Chinese swimming team actually concealed doping test results, this incident could escalate into a major doping scandal shaking the international sports community.