Tang Muhan's Doping Controversy Before Paris Olympics

Tang Muhan, a 20-year-old Chinese athlete, is set to compete in the 200-meter freestyle relay in Paris. Her team won this event in record time in Tokyo. However, an investigation revealed that Tang and another athlete, He Jun, tested positive for a banned steroid in 2022. Normally, this would result in suspension, a hearing, and public disclosure. In this case, these processes were conducted secretly by the Chinese anti-doping agency, which also cleared the athletes in secret. The Chinese narrative claims the athletes inadvertently consumed the steroid through contaminated hamburgers. Experts argue that it is uncommon for this steroid to be found in meat. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the Chinese explanation despite skepticism, as they couldn't disprove the theory. Similar cases have occurred with 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for another drug and historical instances of Clenbuterol cases. These situations were also handled secretly, and WADA permitted the athletes to continue participating in competitions. Tang Muhan is free to compete in Paris due to the lack of conclusive evidence against the Chinese contamination theory.