On Monday, the leader of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) called for an inquiry into the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) management of 23 positive tests involving Chinese swimmers and welcomed the global body's stance on potential legal measures.

In a nearly two-hour Zoom call with the media, WADA responded to critics and offered a thorough explanation of its choice not to impose sanctions on the swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) months prior to the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics, which commenced in July 2021.

The swimmers avoided punishment following an investigation by Chinese authorities, which concluded that the adverse analytical findings (AAFs) stemmed from inadvertent exposure to the thorough contamination.

A report determined that all the swimmers who tested positive were staying at the same hotel where traces of heart medication TMZ were found in the kitchen, the extraction unit above the hall and drainage units.

There was no explanation for how the TMZ found its way into the hotel.

China's 30-member swimming team won six medals at the Tokyo Games, including three golds.

"The whole situation is a tragedy for clean athletes around the world," USADA chief Travis Tygart told Reuters. "They should have announced the violation they should have disqualified the athletes.

"They should have just provisionally suspended (them)."

"Clean athletes look at this system and are just frustrated and upset that a number of athletes at this level can test positive for a substance like this and you can have (China) state security create this excuse and then that gets signed off on by the global regulator."

"Athletes are calling for a review and an investigation and we have to get to the bottom of how this possibly happened."

On Monday, The New York Times also reported that the White House was urging an investigation into the Chinese swimmers and intended to raise the matter during the upcoming meeting of anti-doping officials in Washington this week.

WADA admitted to not conducting its own on-site investigation and instead relied on a report from the China Doping Agency (CHINADA). Subsequently, WADA enlisted its own scientific experts and external legal counsel to evaluate the contamination theory.

With help from leaders of its science and legal affairs departments and the investigative unit, WADA presented a detailed step-by-step analysis of how it reached its conclusion but Tygart remained sceptical.

"We really appreciate WADA opening up and providing some information about their process," said Tygart. "It was unfortunately very unsatisfying and actually opened up a whole load of questions... that need to be answered and actually investigated.

"They (WADA) have effectively flipped strict liability on its head. They've had an authoritarian government with its secret security system provide a defences that they really don't question or challenge."

WADA and USADA appear on a collision course over the case with Tygart calling the ruling a "potential cover-up" and WADA threatening legal action.

If WADA chooses to go that route, Tygart said bring it on.

"I would welcome it because it would be a lot of fun to see the discovery between the emails and the discussion about why they decided not to follow the rules and cover this situation up," said Tygart.

"I had a board member one time say if you're not being sued or being threatened to be sued, then you're not doing your job. That's part of the job. Obviously, it doesn't make anybody happy it's a diversion from the actual facts of the case”.

"That's what WADA should be spending its money on and actually doing a real investigation, not having lawyers review whether they should sue me or media outlets that they are threatening to do."

Image source: Reuters