BIEJING.- China lashed out at USA following doping allegations by its swimmers before the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian spoke a day after the World Anti-Doping Agency released an internal investigator’s report that concluded it found no evidence WADA showed favoritism toward China in its handling of the case. The investigator said WADA made a “reasonable” decision in accepting what Chinese authorities said, which determined the swimmers took a banned heart drug.
In response, one of WADA’s biggest critics, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, said many questions remained.
“We urge the United States to respect the Olympic spirit, abide by international laws and basic norms of international relations, and stop talking about itself and artificially creating false narratives,” Lin said at his daily press conference, adding that China considers WADA’s decision to be independent and fair.
The spokesman said the US’s goal is to “defame prominent Chinese athletes and affect Chinese athletes’ participation in the Paris Olympics.”
Vingegaard triumphs at the Tour de France:
Just three months ago, Jonas Vingegaard was lying in a hospital bed with several fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. On Wednesday, he outsprinted Tadej Pogacar in a two-man sprint after a brutal stage in the mountains.
Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, but it was two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard who claimed a psychological victory after a tough fight that ended in a stalemate in the mountains of the Massif Central.
The duo left their rivals behind and Vingegaard, who closed the large gap to Pogacar on the climb, was faster than his rival in the sprint to finish half a wheel ahead and win the stage.
“Of course it’s very emotional for me. Coming back after that crash,” said Vingegaard, trying not to cry. “It means a lot to me. Everything I went through in the last three months, it makes you think about that.”
Source: AP