The 2016 Rio Olympics signaled the end of Michael Phelps’ illustrious swimming career. After that, Bob Bowman needed to put on his coaching boots to bring up another wonderkid. Leon Marchand joined hands and won four Olympic gold medals at this year’s Paris Olympics. All’s well for Marchand, garnering applause while attending Team USA’s basketball game. Yet, a confusing doping scandal arises for the French swimmer. It comes after a passionate rant by Phelps about ‘I believe one and done.’

From the very start, Phelps emerged as a strong proponent of imposing stricter penalties on athletes who test positive for drugs. The 28x Olympic gold medalist informed a congressional panel how anti-doping measures ‘have fallen short.‘ There are reports of multiple athletes failing the drug test in contemporary times. Thus, Phelps called for stricter punishment. The 2024 Paris Olympics saw a Chinese doping scandal where multiple swimmers tested positive for banned substances yet won medals in swimming, according to reports from USA Today. Therefore, Leon Marchand missed a drug test, raising several concerns because of this. So, what’s this entire story boiling up? How is Marchand caught up in the middle?

Michael Phelps wants stricter sanctions on athletes failing drug tests

Amidst the Chinese doping scandal, Michael Phelps mentioned banning athletes for a lifetime if they failed a drug test, as per the Associated Press. He pointed out, “If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry.” The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics acknowledged 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive before the Tokyo Olympics. China’s Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun faced these allegations. Moreover, the US claimed WADA covered it up, creating a massive uproar. Most of those swimmers won the medals, and even the breaststroke specialist, Adam Peaty, criticized the team. 

The 23x Olympic gold medalist continued, “If everybody is not going through that same testing, I have a serious problem because it means the level of sport is not fair and it’s not even. If you’re taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here.“ To take no risks, Phelps tested himself multiple times to avoid any issues related to his performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As he won eight gold medals and broke Mark Spitz’s record, he wanted a clean slate regarding the drug testing claims. If not, people would question his achievements, which was natural.

He exclaimed how many called him a ‘cheater‘ throughout his career. To cover up all the doubts, he took frequent drug tests to keep his record clean. “I subjected myself to do more testing — blood and urine — weekly. Why? For the reason that I could say I’m not cheating and I am clean and here are the results,“ mentioned Phelps. 

With WADA acknowledging the doping scandal, Phelps did not hold back his words. According to USA Today, WADA confirmed that over two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned drug commonly found in heart medication. Although officials requested WADA to testify, they declined due to the hearing’s primary focus on the situation involving the Chinese swimmers. Following this, an international athlete-led movement, Global Athlete, issued an open letter expressing distrust in WADA’s measures. The scandal quickly became a major talking point. The letter read how WADA “remained steadfast in their narrative which has provided no clarity on the matter.”

In response, WADA mentioned that an independent review would be issued after handling the case. Meanwhile, CHINADA, China’s anti-doping agency, stated that the swimmers had unintentionally been exposed to the banned substances due to contamination. They argued that athletes should not be held accountable for the positive results. The discussion also featured contributions from other athletes.

Leon Marchand’s doping scandal arises!

According to ESPN, the legendary Katie Ledecky mentioned how faith in the anti-doping system is at an “all-time low.“ Likewise, Caeleb Dressel described, “I don’t really think they’ve given us enough evidence to support them in how those cases were handled.” With most athletes coming forward to describe the events, Leon Marchand missing the doping test poses significant questions. 

Amid the WADA and CHINADA doping controversy, Marchand found himself unexpectedly in the middle. Drug testers arrived at the Olympic Village at 5:45 AM on Monday, July 29, to conduct a scheduled drug test for the French swimmer. However, he had already left the Athletes’ Village due to discomfort with the cardboard beds. As a result, the French Swimming Federation allowed Marchand and several other swimmers to check into a hotel.

Consequently, the swimmer who participated in multiple events needed a peaceful night’s sleep, which coincided with the day scheduled for drug testing. With the controversy surrounding the Chinese swimmers, fresh doubts emerged regarding the French swimmer. Despite the lack of evidence, numerous fans criticized him on social media. Yet, all’s clean for now. 

With Michael Phelps calling for stricter actions, one must wonder what WADA will do to tackle this issue. Many athletes strive strenuously for years to compete in the Olympics only to see someone else win due to cheating. There are multiple examples out there. Hopefully, the concerned authorities can sit together to find an amicable solution. Putting an end to all these issues could be a breakthrough in drug testing. 

Hence, let’s see what happens down the road. Hopefully, we receive clarity on the drug testing methods and lofty bans on athletes who test positive. What do you think of the entire situation? Do let us know in the comments.