The World Anti-Doping Agency’s approach toward a serious doping controversy has failed to inspire confidence in athletes. 7x Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel has raised concerns over WADA clearing 23 Chinese swimmers who failed dr*g testing before Tokyo 2020. Among those 23 swimmers, 11 will compete in Paris. Dressel expressed his doubts about whether anti-doping authorities have ensured a fair contest this time.

In May 2024, The New York Times revealed that CHINADA, China’s national anti-doping agency cleared 23 athletes flagged for trimetazidine. However, WADA’s lack of follow-up shocked the swimming community. Despite exchanging emails with CHINADA, the highest anti-doping authority in the world took them at their word. WADA also kept the information under wraps.

Hence Caeleb Dressel seems to have lost faith. “I don’t think they have given us enough evidence to support them in how this case was handled,” the 27-year-old told BBC during a pre-Olympic press conference. Team USA’s gold medal prospect echoed concerns previously raised by Katie Ledecky. However, Dressel’s fellow seven-time Olympic medalist teammate’s comment carries a bit more optimism.

“I hope everyone here (in Paris) is going to be competing clean this week,” said Ledecky. However, just like her teammate, the most decorated female swimmer of all time also has her doubts. She didn’t approve of WADA’s past actions during Tokyo. The world record holder also questioned the anti-doping agency’s lack of clarity after the news surfaced. She spoke for the entire swimming community.

“They want further answers to the questions that still remain,” Ledecky added. Unfortunately, WADA’s response to athletes like Caeleb Dressel, and Katie Ledecky and the sporting world has been lackluster at best. The agency explained their oversight saying they were “not in a position to disprove,” CHINADA’s claims ahead of Tokyo 2020. However, Dressel and Ledecky weren’t the only ones who raised questions.

Caeleb Dressel’s former teammate’s hard rebuke

23x Olympic gold-winning swimmer Michael Phelps couldn’t stay put despite retiring from competitive swimming. The most decorated Olympian in history told the congressional panel last month, saying many had lost faith in WADA. He also called out the agency for its inconsistent global anti-doping enforcement policies.

The Olympic legend has always had a strong stance against athletes who resort to performance-enhancing dr*gs. “If you test positive once, you should never be allowed to compete again.” Michael Phelps told CNN in 2019. USADA Chief Travis Tygart also joined the 39-year-old, saying athletes had been “deeply and painfully betrayed by the system.”

However, World Aquatics has assured athletes and fans that there has been no potential foul play ahead of Paris. In fact, they said that athletes practicing in Paris have been tested a total of 4,774 times while rejecting Caeleb Dressel’s comments. However, the swimming community is still on the fence despite their assurance.