Michael Phelps Calls for Lifetime Doping Bans; Doubts He Ever Faced a 'Clean Field'

Amid a Chinese doping scandal, legendary swimmer Michael Phelps voiced his support for harsher penalties for those who test positive for banned substances.

"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," Phelps said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "If you're taking that risk, then you don't belong in here."

Phelps also emphasized the importance of winning without using banned substances, noting all the accomplishments he achieved without cheating and the lengths he went to to ensure there was no speculation.

"People called me a cheater throughout my career," Phelps said. "I subjected myself to do more testing -- blood and urine -- weekly. Why? For the reason that I could say I'm not cheating, and I am clean and here are the results.

"I did it the clean way," he added. "I won 23 Olympic gold medals the clean way. It can be done."

Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist, went as far as to say his competition throughout his career used banned substances.

"I don't think I ever competed in an even playing field or a clean field," Phelps said. "I have some speculations of some athletes that I competed against that I thought they were [doping]. But that's out of my control."

Phelps' comments come after the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics acknowledged that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Of the 23 athletes, nine earned medals at this year's games in Paris.

Whether the World Anti-Doping Agency will take Phelps' suggestions is to be determined, but having one of the greatest swimmers of all time voicing his opinions on such matters should hold plenty of weight.