Katie Ledecky Says Faith in Olympics' Anti-Doping Efforts Is at 'All-Time Low'

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky says faith in the Olympic anti-doping system is at an "all-time low" following news that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance (trimetazidine) before the Tokyo Olympics but were still allowed to compete, per the Associated Press.

"It's hard going into Paris knowing that we're going to be racing some of these athletes," Ledecky said in an interview on the next edition of CBS News Sunday Morning.

"And I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low."

Michael S. Schmidt and Tariq Panja of the New York Times broke news on the matter in April:

"Twenty-three top Chinese swimmers tested positive for the same powerful banned substance seven months before the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 but were allowed to escape public scrutiny and continue to compete after top Chinese officials secretly cleared them of doping and the global authority charged with policing drugs in sports chose not to intervene.

"Several of the athletes who tested positive — including nearly half of the swimming team that China sent to the Tokyo Games — went on to win medals, including three golds. Many still compete for China and several, including the two-time gold medalist Zhang Yufei, are expected to contend for medals again at this year's Summer Games in Paris."

The NYT relayed that Chinada, the Chinese anti-doping agency, suggested the positive tests came from a "tainted food supply," and the NYT added that it's "a finding that some experts considered implausible."

Per the AP, Chinese authorities did not punish the athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency stated in a Fact Sheet/FAQ on the matter that "the feedback from WADA's Science Department was ultimately that the contamination scenario was plausible and that there was no concrete scientific element to challenge it."

Ledecky and Team USA notably took silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, which China won. Two of the gold medalist swimmers (Yang Junxuan, Zhang Yufei) were among that group of 23 to test positive.

Ultimately, Ledecky wants answers regarding the logistics behind the process and solutions to current anti-doping system problems to correct any concerns going forward.

"I'd like to see some accountability here," Ledecky said. "I'd like to see some answers as to why this happened the way it did. And I'd really like to see that steps are taken for the future so that we can regain some confidence in the global system."

She added: "I think the whole case has to be reexamined independently and thoroughly, and all the information needs to be out there."

Ledecky, who has also won 21 gold medals in World Championship competition, is set to compete in her fourth Olympics.