Adam Peaty hits out at 'bizarre' anti-doping system after loss to China

5 August 2024, 10:31

Team GB’s Adam Peaty has questioned China’s swimming victory in the 4x100m relay as he slammed the Olympics’ “bizarre” anti-doping system.

China won gold in a nail-biting relay final, finishing ahead of the USA in second, France in third and Team GB in fourth.

Following Great Britain’s defeat, Peaty highlighted that two of China’s medalists, Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, were among the 23 Chinese swimmers who allegedly returned positive doping tests prior to the Tokyo Olympics.

They were not banned because the China Anti-Doping Agency concluded they had ingested the banned substances unintentionally.

Read more: American Noah Lyles wins Olympic 100 metre gold in closest final in living memory

“We have to be very careful not to paint a whole nation with one brush, firstly,” Peaty told LBC’s Charlotte Lynch.

“But also, that we kind of set a punishment, or set a barrier for those people who are cheating and it’s very blatant.

“Giving each nation their own responsibility and trust in that nation to test their own athletes – it’s bizarre.

“We should have a full de-centralised testing agency that tests everyone fairly.

“I want to play fair, I swim fair, I know how hard I worked to get here.”

The allegations against China’s athletes were first made public in a report by the New York Times.

At the time, the World Anti-Doping Agency said it was "not in a position to disprove" the conclusion made by the ChinaADA.

"One of my favourite quotes I've seen lately is that there's no point winning if you're not winning fair,” Peaty told the BBC.

"I think you know that truth in your heart.

"For me, if you've been on that and you have been contaminated twice, I think as an honourable person you should be out of the sport. But we know sport isn't that simple."

Team GB’s defeat comes a week after Peaty was diagnosed with Covid in the wake of his 100m breaststroke silver medal win.

Speaking after his victory, Peaty admitted to feeling unwell: “I’ve had a bit of a curveball with my throat but, please, it’s no excuse at all.

“But it’s a curveball I’ve had to respond to.

“You can train eight years for something and not feel 100 per cent on the day and (not being) 100 per cent costs you 0.02 seconds, that’s just the way it is.

“I’m so happy to pass the baton to Nicolo because I’ve been racing him for so long. All I could see in my eyes were Qin and Arno.

“They are two of the best executors in that final, but that’s just sport. I got a little bit blindsided, I touched the wall and I truly believed I got it but it wasn’t meant to be.”