Michael Phelps wants dopers banned ahead of Paris Olympics
By Ray Bogan (Political Correspondent)
The Paris Olympics are a month away and while much of the focus is on sewage in the River Seine, Congress is talking about doping. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on what members contend are failures of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
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Wada cannot be trusted after doping scandal
Click to see story on BBC NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on The IndependentOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsMichael Phelps rips World Anti-Doping Agency for inconsistent enforcement of rules: ‘We need to hold them accountable’
Click to see story on CNNMichael Phelps calls out ‘deeply rooted, systemic problems’ with WADA ahead of Paris Olympics
Click to see story on ABC AustraliaSwimmer Michael Phelps says China doping scandal threatens the Olympic movement
Click to see story on nprOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Star TribuneOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on NBC NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Koco News5Doping scandal in China: Record Olympic champion Michael Phelps criticizes world anti-doping agency
Click to see story on SpiegelU.S. Athletes Have Lost Faith in Anti-Doping Regulators
Click to see story on Time MagazineOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on NBC WashingtonUS swim greats tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short – West Hawaii Today
Click to see story on West Hawaii TodayMichael Phelps rips World Anti-Doping Agency for inconsistent enforcement of rules: ‘We need to hold them accountable’
Click to see story on KRDOPhelps has no faith in WADA as US considers funding
Click to see story on RTÉPhelps, Schmitt plead Congress to crack down on doping ahead of Olympics
Click to see story on The HillOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free PressPhelps to tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Click to see story on Star AdvertiserU.S. Olympic swimmers slam World Anti-Doping Agency in congressional testimony
Click to see story on UPIOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Washington Top NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KCRA 3Olympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WCVBOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WMUROlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WLKYOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WESHOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WTAEOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WYFFOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KCCIOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WISNOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WBAL-TVOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WPTZOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WMTWOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WAPTOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KOATPhelps leads testimony slamming global anti-doping agency ahead of Paris games
Click to see story on NY1Olympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on BRPROUDOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WGALOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WXIIPhelps, Schmitt plead Congress to crack down on doping ahead of Olympics
Click to see story on WSAVMichael Phelps wants dopers banned ahead of Paris Olympics
Click to see story on Straight Arrow NewsMichael Phelps slams Olympic anti-doping efforts
Click to see story on WDVMOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on National PostOlympic champs say US athletes have lost faith in WADA
Click to see story on The West AustralianSwimming: Phelps calls for reforming the World Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on Le FigaroAntidoping: ‘She is incapable’, Michael Phelps’ outburst against the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Click to see story on Le ParisienFACT CHECK: Threads Post Falsely Claims Israel Is Out Of The 2024 Paris Olympics
Click to see story on Check Your FactRight
Untracked Bias
Best Olympic medalist of all time, Michael Phelps calls for reform of the Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on GloboMichael Phelps says athletes have lost faith in WADA over Chinese doping scandal
Click to see story on Shropshire StarOlympic U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on SportsnetOlympic champs say US athletes have lost faith in WADA
Click to see story on PerthNowOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on My Mother LodeMichael Phelps calls for reform of the World Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on L'ÉQUIPEPhelps slams Wada over China row as US mulls defunding agency
Click to see story on City AMUS swim greats tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short
Click to see story on Blue Water Healthy LivingTo shine a light on the conversation, lawmakers brought Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
“I witnessed firsthand the pervasive uncertainty and the suspicions surrounding doping,” the 23-time gold medalist said. “The hardest part was seeing athletes achieve seemingly impossible feats, knowing the immense effort and sacrifices required to reach these heights cleanly.”
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Members on both sides of the aisle accused WADA of unevenly applying its rules to athletes from different countries.
Lawmakers pointed to an incident involving swimmers from China at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Before the Games, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance but 13 of them ultimately competed in the Olympics.
According to Chinese officials, the athletes tested positive “after inadvertently being exposed to the substance through food/environment contamination as a result of TMZ detected in the kitchen” of their hotel.
WADA accepted the explanation from officials, and 11 of those athletes are scheduled to compete again in Paris.
“How many more Olympic athletes have to lose out on winning medals and proudly singing their country’s national anthem before the World Anti-Doping Agency decides to enforce these rules uniformly,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said.
WADA was invited to testify but did not show.
“It’s really outrageous that WADA does not have the courage or integrity to show up and defend itself here tonight. WADA should be protecting clean sport and not hiding from accountability,” Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said.
“Some of [the swimmers] were tested on two or even three occasions on consecutive days,” WADA stated in a six-page document. “For several swimmers, the results varied from negative to positive within a few hours, which is not compatible with a doping scenario of deliberate ingestion nor with micro-dosing.”
The CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency cast doubt on that explanation.
“TMZ is a controlled prescription medication, it’s prohibited all the time,” U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart said. “The default sanction is four years. It doesn’t magically appear, fairy dust in a kitchen.”
Tygart suggested assigning an independent prosecutor who can look at the evidence and athlete’s individual files.
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As for Phelps, the athlete who dedicated his life to reaching greatness, he wants rule breakers banned.
“If somebody does test positive, I would like to see a lifetime ban,” Phelps said. “If somebody is going out of their way to single handedly cheat, go, lifetime ban.”
The Paris Olympics are a month away and while much of the focus is on sewage in the River Seine,
Congress is talking about doping. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on what members say are failures of the World Anti Doping Agency or WADA.
To shine a light on the conversation, lawmakers brought in a GOAT – Michael Phelps.
Michael Phelps, 23-time gold medalist: “I witnessed firsthand the pervasive uncertainty in the suspicions surrounding doping, // 20:59 The hardest part was seeing athletes achieve seemingly impossible feats, knowing the immense effort and sacrifices required to reach these heights cleanly.”
Members on both sides of the aisle accuse WADA of unevenly applying its rules to athletes from different countries.
Lawmakers focused on an incident involving swimmers from China at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Before the games, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance; 13 of them ultimately competed in the olympics. They were given a pass because WADA accepted the explanation of Chinese officials that the athletes tested positive quote: “”… of their hotel.
11 of those athletes are about to compete again in Paris.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA: “How many more Olympic athletes have to lose out on winning medals and proudly singing their country’s national anthem before the world. Anti Doping agency decides to enforce these rules, uniformly.”
WADA was invited to testify but did not show.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ: “It’s really outrageous that WADA does not have the courage or integrity to show up and defend itself here tonight, WADA should be protecting clean sport and not hiding from accountability.”
In a six page document explaining the incident, WADA said: Some of [the swimmers] were tested on two or even three occasions on consecutive days. For several swimmers, the results varied from negative to positive within a few hours, which is not compatible with a doping scenario of deliberate ingestion nor with micro-dosing.
The CEO of the US anti-doping agency cast doubt on that explanation.
Travis Tygart, US Anti-Doping Agency CEO: “TMZ is a controlled prescription medication, it’s prohibited all the time, it doesn’t magically appear fairy dust in a kitchen.”
Tygart suggested an independent prosecutor be assigned to the case who can look at the evidence and athlete’s individual files.
As for the athlete who dedicated his life to reaching greatness, he wants rule breakers banned.
Michael Phelps, 23-time gold medalist: “If somebody does test positive, I would just like to see a lifetime ban. If somebody is going out of their way to cheat, go, lifetime ban. “
We have more olympics coverage on the Straight Arrow News app, including a report about how the olympics were at one point for amateur athletes only, no pros allowed.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Wada cannot be trusted after doping scandal
Click to see story on BBC NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on The IndependentOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsMichael Phelps rips World Anti-Doping Agency for inconsistent enforcement of rules: ‘We need to hold them accountable’
Click to see story on CNNMichael Phelps calls out ‘deeply rooted, systemic problems’ with WADA ahead of Paris Olympics
Click to see story on ABC AustraliaSwimmer Michael Phelps says China doping scandal threatens the Olympic movement
Click to see story on nprOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Star TribuneOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on NBC NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Koco News5Doping scandal in China: Record Olympic champion Michael Phelps criticizes world anti-doping agency
Click to see story on SpiegelU.S. Athletes Have Lost Faith in Anti-Doping Regulators
Click to see story on Time MagazineOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on NBC WashingtonUS swim greats tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short – West Hawaii Today
Click to see story on West Hawaii TodayMichael Phelps rips World Anti-Doping Agency for inconsistent enforcement of rules: ‘We need to hold them accountable’
Click to see story on KRDOPhelps has no faith in WADA as US considers funding
Click to see story on RTÉPhelps, Schmitt plead Congress to crack down on doping ahead of Olympics
Click to see story on The HillOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free PressPhelps to tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Click to see story on Star AdvertiserU.S. Olympic swimmers slam World Anti-Doping Agency in congressional testimony
Click to see story on UPIOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on Washington Top NewsOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KCRA 3Olympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WCVBOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WMUROlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WLKYOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WESHOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WTAEOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WYFFOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KCCIOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WISNOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WBAL-TVOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WPTZOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WMTWOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WAPTOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on KOATPhelps leads testimony slamming global anti-doping agency ahead of Paris games
Click to see story on NY1Olympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on BRPROUDOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WGALOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress US athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on WXIIPhelps, Schmitt plead Congress to crack down on doping ahead of Olympics
Click to see story on WSAVMichael Phelps wants dopers banned ahead of Paris Olympics
Click to see story on Straight Arrow NewsMichael Phelps slams Olympic anti-doping efforts
Click to see story on WDVMOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on National PostOlympic champs say US athletes have lost faith in WADA
Click to see story on The West AustralianSwimming: Phelps calls for reforming the World Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on Le FigaroAntidoping: ‘She is incapable’, Michael Phelps’ outburst against the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Click to see story on Le ParisienFACT CHECK: Threads Post Falsely Claims Israel Is Out Of The 2024 Paris Olympics
Click to see story on Check Your FactRight
Untracked Bias
Best Olympic medalist of all time, Michael Phelps calls for reform of the Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on GloboMichael Phelps says athletes have lost faith in WADA over Chinese doping scandal
Click to see story on Shropshire StarOlympic U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on SportsnetOlympic champs say US athletes have lost faith in WADA
Click to see story on PerthNowOlympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator
Click to see story on My Mother LodeMichael Phelps calls for reform of the World Anti-Doping Agency
Click to see story on L'ÉQUIPEPhelps slams Wada over China row as US mulls defunding agency
Click to see story on City AMUS swim greats tell Congress that Olympic anti-doping efforts fall short
Click to see story on Blue Water Healthy LivingVOTE WITH THE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.™
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