Two months before the Paris Olympics begin, the global agency charged with overseeing doping in sport is facing a growing crisis as it fends off accusations that it helped cover up the positive tests of elite Chinese swimmers who went on to compete – and won medals – at the last Summer Games.
The allegations are particularly galling for the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has long portrayed itself as the gold standard in the global clean sport movement, because they raise the specter that the agency – and by extension the entire system set up to try to keep the Olympic Games clean – cannot be trusted.
Athletes are openly questioning whether WADA will fulfill its core mission of ensuring a level playing field in Paris, where some of the same Chinese swimmers are favorites to win more medals.
