Adam Peaty Questions Fairness of China’s Relay Victory

Adam Peaty questioned the fairness of China’s relay victory on the final night of swimming at Paris 2024, stating “there’s no point winning if you’re not winning fair.” China won gold in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, defeating the United States and France with the British team finishing fourth. Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, two of the gold medallists, were among 23 Chinese swimmers who reportedly tested positive for doping before the Tokyo Olympics. The China Anti-Doping Agency ruled their positive tests resulted from contamination, not intentional doping.

Peaty, a three-time gold and three-time silver Olympic medallist, criticized the situation and stressed that cheating undermines genuine victory. He also noted that he does not wish to generalize about an entire nation. However, he believes those responsible for enforcing fairness need to do their jobs. The New York Times initially reported the Chinese athletes’ positive tests and German broadcaster ARD later confirmed the details.

This revelation came after the positive tests had not been made public at the time. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chose not to appeal the China case after consulting experts. Independent reports later confirmed that WADA handled the situation without bias. Adam Peaty, who was recovering from Covid-19, did not confirm his future in the sport after the relay, noting it could have been his last swim.

In addition, the US set a new world record in the women’s 4x100m medley relay surpassing Australia, who took silver. The US ended the swimming events with eight gold medals out of 28 while Australia earned seven golds. Bobby Finke of the US broke the 1500m freestyle world record to defend his title. Meanwhile, Leon Marchand of France secured a bronze medal, adding to his collection of four golds.

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden completed the freestyle sprint double by winning the 50m and 100m titles. Team GB ended with five medals, including a gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay. For the first time since 2004, no British women secured a spot on the podium.