How U.S. double standards twist international sports

Competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics, American sprinter Erriyon Knighton would never have expected that he would become more well-known not just for his athleticism but also because he was allowed to compete after testing positive for trenbolone in March.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) permitted him to compete, explaining that an arbitration panel had determined the banned substance came from contaminated meat.

Knighton's "statement of innocence" has since been removed from USADA's official website, along with statements and reports on his previously faultless cases.

The issue came into the global spotlight after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) responded to a recent Reuters story exposing a scheme where USADA allowed athletes who had committed doping violations to compete without sanctions for years while acting as undercover agents for USADA. 

In the statement following the report, WADA said this practice is a blatant violation of the World Anti-Doping Code and USADA's own regulations. 

"Contrary to the claims made by USADA, WADA did not sign off on this practice of permitting drug cheats to compete for years on the promise that they would try to obtain incriminating evidence against others," said WADA, adding that it immediately instructed USADA to desist after it found out about the practice in 2021, many years after it had started. 

In its statement, WADA said at least three such cases among U.S. athletes have been identified. In these instances, USADA failed to notify WADA as required, and there were no provisions under the Code or USADA's rules that allowed such a practice.

USADA responded as well, saying that WADA were aware of the athletes' cooperation in these investigations, according to a statement from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. 

"So, USADA didn't catch any cheats with their snitches. The snitches competed and lived happily ever after," said a comment on social media platform X under a post which puts the two statements together. 

The disparity between U.S. and international doping enforcement is evident. While the country has frequently called for stringent measures against doping in other countries and regions, it downplays similar offenses within its own borders. 

Doping scandal cases are not rare in American sports history, where athletes have been shielded from consequences after they were caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

American distance-running athlete Mary Slaney tested positive for testosterone at the 1996 Olympic trials but claimed her positive result was due to birth control pills. In 1997, the U.S. track federation cleared her of doping charges in a controversial case, where Slaney's lawyers contended that the substance's ratio can be widely skewed in women by menstruation or alcohol consumption.

Carl Lewis, American track and field athlete, prided himself as an anti-doping advocate and won the men's 100 meters gold medal at the 1988 Olympics. But in 2003, under the revelations of an American doctor, Lewis admitted that he had failed three drug tests during the U.S. team trials, but the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee turned a blind eye to it.

Multi-Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps' drug scandal in 2009 also shocked the world. According to regulations, Phelps should have been banned for two to four years, but the USA Swimming addressed the matter with a mere three-month suspension.

WADA President Witold Banka noted in a recent meeting that 90 percent of American athletes, those in professional leagues and college sports, don't compete under the World Anti-Doping Code. USADA said they conduct their own anti-doping programs in-house.

"According to data released by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee on July 10, 75 percent of U.S. elite athletes participating in international competitions come from the collegiate system, including the NCAA. This means that most U.S. elite athletes originate from a system operating outside globally recognized clean sport standards," Banka said at the 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee.

Banka has also noted that law enforcement agencies worldwide have criticized the U.S. as a major market for the sale and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs.

According to an online poll released by CGTN, 95.57 percent of global respondents believe that USADA might be covering up U.S. athletes involved in doping.

(Cover via CFP)