German investigative journalist Hajo Seppelt posted on social media, “US Senators question WADA’s efforts to find leaker in CHN swimming case.” WADA stated that they are seeking to determine how the leak occurred and what the real motivation behind it was.
The facts will come out.
The criticism is a potential powder keg between the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and now the US Congress and ARDTV are asking questions.
US Senators question WADA's efforts to find leaker in CHN swimming case. WADA answers, that they „are seeking to find out how the leak happened and what was the real motivation behind it.” Our answer: The only and real motivation was to tell the truth. https://t.co/XHFV6nQpjE
— Hajo Seppelt (@HajoSeppelt) December 5, 2025
American Congresspersons sent a letter to WADA criticizing its investigation into the case that involves the 23 Chinese swimmers.
WADA President Witold Banka received a letter asking questions about “Operation Puncture,” an initiative organized by WADA to gather information about the leak involving swimmers who tested positive for prohibited substances leading up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
How they performed
All 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine before the Tokyo Olympics were cleared by WADA and competed in the Tokyo Olympics. The athletes won multiple medals for China, despite controversy over their initial positive tests.
Before the Tokyo Games, China’s Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) concluded it was due to contamination from a hotel kitchen. WADA accepted this explanation, and the swimmers were allowed to compete without public disclosure or bans.
The athletes won six medals, three of which are gold.
The media
The Associated Press got its hands on the letter, which was signed by Senators Marsha Blackburn and Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and John Moolenaar, reads, “While WADA claims that their motivations are innocent, it appears this investigation’s intent is to intimidate and suppress whistleblowers.
“If these allegations are accurate, WADA is not defending clean sport but is continuing to defend a cover-up.”
As with most scandals of this nature, including Russian systematic doping, the secret that WADA and CHINADA allegedly held was revealed by the media.
In 2024, U.S. authorities opened an investigation into the Chinese swimmers’ case, which led to speculation that WADA was reluctant to come to the US, worried they would be subject to subpoenas.
The letter asks Banka to answer several questions, including whether WADA will release all internal communications related to the swimmers’ case and the ensuing “Operation Puncture.”
WADA commissioned its own report on the handling of the Chinese swimmers’ case, which concluded it was “reasonable” that WADA chose not to appeal the Chinese anti-doping agency’s explanation that the positives came from contamination.
*Featured photo: President of World Anti-Doping Agency Witold Banka, of Poland, speaks at the opening of the WADA Symposium for Anti-Doping Organizations at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 18, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)
