Michael Phelps, the renowned swimming champion, is taking a firm stance against cheating in swimming, proposing a strict solution to the ongoing scandal.
The Paris Olympics have witnessed numerous world records and personal bests being shattered, yet not all victories have received universal acclaim.
This year, there has been significant dissatisfaction with China’s success in swimming events.
Nine Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics have gone on to win medals in the current Olympic events.
An investigation by the New York Times revealed that a total of 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine prior to the Tokyo Olympics.
However, these swimmers were eventually allowed to compete, with the belief being that they had unintentionally consumed the drug through contaminated food.
Despite this clearance, their achievements have not been well-received by some of their fellow competitors. British swimmer Adam Peaty has openly expressed his dissatisfaction.
Peaty urged Olympic officials to ‘do their job’ to ensure that no form of cheating occurs, emphasizing that his competitors had previously tested positive for banned substances.
Addressing the media on Monday, Phelps, who boasts a total of 28 Olympic medals, also commented on the issue.
He stated, “If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry. I believe one and done.
“It does break my heart to see people put hard effort into four straight years to prepare for an Olympic Games, then to have it taken away from them by somebody who is cheating.
“It’s not right. I stand for that and I will always stand for that.”
Drawing from his own exceptional Olympic career, Phelps mentioned that he underwent additional testing to remove any doubts about his own victories.
He added, “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.”
Phelps had a clear message for those who have cheated, asserting that they should not be part of the Olympics.
“Go ahead and go to the cheater games. Keep the Olympics about integrity.”