House China Panel Urges DOJ to Investigate Allegations of Doping

The House select committee on China this week sent a letter to leading Justice Department officials calling on them to investigate doping allegations against the Chinese national swim team ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

The New York Times, in a report released last month, alleged that almost two dozen top-ranked Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug just a few months before the 2021 Summer Olympic Games took place in Tokyo, but were still allowed to participate after the World Anti-Doping Agency declined to act on the failed tests.

In a letter signed by committee chair Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, the panel asked the Justice Department to utilize a 2020 law that grants the department the power to criminally prosecute people who help athletes procure and use banned performance enhancers.

“This scandal raises serious legal, ethical and competitive concerns and may constitute a broader state-sponsored strategy by the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) to unfairly compete at the Olympic Games in ways Russia has previously done,” the letter reads.

They add that the Justice Department must investigate whether the alleged doping practices were done in coordination with the Chinese government.

“It is imperative to assess whether these alleged doping practices were state-sponsored, which could warrant further diplomatic measures by the United States and the international community,” the letter continues.

The House panel also sent the International Olympic Committee a separate letter asking them to investigate the allegations, noting that “How the I.O.C. responds to this scandal will directly affect this summer’s Olympic Games and their promise of fair play that unites athletes from around the globe.”