China has blamed Australian beef for positive steroid tests returned by one of its female swimmers lodged two years ago, which have come to light at the Paris Olympics.
The New York Times has revealed that Tang Muhan, a member of China’s world-beating women’s 4X200m relay team, tested positive for the banned steroid metandienone two years ago.
Tang’s positive test, recorded within a few months of three other Chinese athletes from as many sports, was not publicly declared by China’s anti-doping agency (CHINADA) or its global regulator, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
After the NYT’s revelation, CHINADA responded that it had tested meat samples and found positive results for metandienone. Global media have reported that Chinese officials have suggested it was hamburger meat from Australia.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is now investigating “the circumstances, scale and risk of meat contamination with metandienone in China and other countries”.
According to the New York Times article, China, Citing Tainted Burgers, Cleared Swimmers in a New Doping Dispute [Paywall], China does not ever appear to have publicly disclosed its finding of food contamination in either case, as required under WADA rules.
Chinese authorities paused a hearing process after the positive tests in 2022, and began a wide-ranging investigation focusing on the possibility that the swimmers had eaten hamburgers made with beef from cattle that had been fed anabolic steroids. The inquiry included testing meat samples across the country, tracking beef imports to China from Australia and even conducting studies in which individuals were given contaminated meat and then tested to see what level of the banned substance was detected.
Ultimately, the investigation was unable to pinpoint the source of any potentially tainted meat.
Meat and Livestock Australia rebuffed the fresh claims the substance was present in Australian meat.
“Menthandienone is not used in any capacity in Australian beef production or in any veterinary medicine,” the statement said.
Sources: Farm Online, New York Times, Sky News