關于美國奧運選手埃里揚·奈頓類固醇陽性的聲明

我們注意到《環球時報》發布了關于美國奧運田徑新星埃里揚·奈頓（Erriyon Knighton）興奮劑陽性疑點的報道。作為美國奧運田徑代表隊的選手，奈頓在今年3月26日的興奮劑賽外檢查中被查出呈類固醇（群勃龍）陽性。但美國反興奮劑機構（USADA）在巴黎奧運會國內預選賽開始前突然作出決定，宣稱奈頓的陽性結果是由運動員食用了受污染的肉類引起的，決定不對其實施禁賽處罰，并允許他最終代表美國參加巴黎奧運會。而USADA在面對中國游泳運動員興奮劑污染事件時，卻表現出典型的“雙重標準”：一方面極力為本國運動員開脫，但另一方面卻漠視世界反興奮劑機構（WADA）多次解釋與瑞士獨立檢察官報告，指責中國反興奮劑中心和WADA一起“掩蓋真相”，要求對中國運動員實施制裁。

正如媒體報道所言，奈頓興奮劑陽性案件的諸多疑點仍懸而未決。據相關研究表明，群勃龍是一種蛋白同化制劑，具有極強的提升力量和爆發力的作用，并不是常見的污染物質。近年來，全球發生了數以百計的群勃龍陽性。據公開信息顯示，絕大多數陽性都是基于四年禁賽的標準予以處罰，僅三名美國運動員因主張食品污染而逃脫了處罰。在奈頓案件中，該案件的獨立仲裁員裁定，受污染的肉類來自佛羅里達州的一家餐館。問題在于：USADA在事隔兩個月后才開展調查，恰巧又從同一家餐館購買的不同批次的牛肉中檢出了群勃龍，如此巧合實在讓人匪夷所思。如果美國市場的牛肉真是存在普遍的群勃龍污染，USADA是否開展過廣泛的市場調查，是否做過數據統計，是否提醒過美國運動員注意肉食品污染的問題，是否研究過吃多少污染的肉類會導致運動員檢測陽性？USADA負責人在WADA尚未審查案卷，上訴期限并未截止的情況下即發表公開聲明宣稱“正義得到了伸張”。更值得懷疑的是，該聲明目前已被USADA從官網中撤稿，與之一并被撤稿的還包括其過往無過錯污染案件的聲明與報道。如此反常的行動到底是在隱藏什么？

從奈頓案件中可見一斑：USADA嘴上倡導著維護公平純潔，實際行為卻背道而馳。其表態與實際行動自相矛盾更體現在美國的職業體育聯盟和大學體育聯盟（NCAA）自行制定反興奮劑標準，與《世界反興奮劑條例》存在明顯沖突，USADA也不對他們進行檢查，形成了巨大的體育暗箱。USADA是《世界反興奮劑條例》的簽約方，但作為美國收視率最高的幾個職業體育聯賽的聯盟——美國職業棒球大聯盟（MLB）、美國職業籃球聯賽（NBA）、美國職業橄欖球大聯盟（NFL）以及北美職業冰球聯盟（NHL）卻不受《世界反興奮劑條例》的管轄，且作為絕大多數最成功的美國運動員的培育者——NCAA也未簽署《世界反興奮劑條例》。2006年的《米切爾報告》曾指出超過八十五名現役和退役棒球運動員使用了興奮劑，有球員聲稱，百分之四十、五十，甚至百分之八十的球員都在使用類固醇。WADA現任主席班卡在近期會議中表示：“高達90%的美國運動員，包括職業和大學體育運動員沒有遵守WADA相關條例?！贝送?，2020年生效的《羅琴科夫反興奮劑法》允許該國對國際體育賽事中的興奮劑事件實行“域外刑事管轄權”。該法案聲稱是為了打擊興奮劑行為，但卻將美國國內的職業聯賽、大學聯賽等賽事排除在外，這也說明美國政府對于其國內外的反興奮劑工作明顯采用了雙重標準。

USADA對自身長久以來的反興奮劑“陋習”視而不見，反而執迷于“越界管轄”，要求對其他國家實施制裁，妄圖通過指責、打擊中國及其他國家以轉移其國內反興奮劑工作中存在的嚴重缺陷，這是赤裸裸的政治操弄和虛偽雙標。自今年4月以來，美國國會、反興奮劑機構、媒體在中國游泳運動員食品污染案件上故意選擇性失明失聰，企圖通過捏造構陷混淆是非，讓國際社會與民眾產生錯誤認知，并借此將反興奮劑問題政治化，鼓動美國司法部和聯邦調查局動用國內司法和政治手段進行調查，發起對該事件的“長臂管轄”。如此不顧吃相的惡劣行徑，不僅是徹頭徹尾的“雙重標準”，還是對“公平公正”理念的肆意踐踏。我們再次強烈敦促USADA停止人為制造虛假敘事和泛政治化的認知操弄，停止擾亂和破壞運行有效的世界反興奮劑秩序和治理體系，停止以所謂的“法律手段”搞威脅施壓和濫施“長臂管轄”；重新審視其在處理興奮劑案件時的方法和原則，確保其行動與全球反興奮劑體系的宗旨相符，并且在反興奮劑工作中能夠展現出應有的誠信和一致性，以重新獲得國際社會對其工作的信任。

CHINADA Statement on the U.S. Olympian Erriyon Knighton’s Positive Test for Steroid

China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) noted that the Global Times has published a report on the doubts about the Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) case of the U.S. sprinting star Erriyon Knighton. Knighton, a member of the U.S. Olympic track and field team, tested positive for a banned steroid (trenbolone) during an out-of-competition test on March 26. In a surprising turn, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) abruptly decided before the start of the domestic qualifiers for the Paris Olympics that no ineligibility would be imposed on Knighton, claiming that Knighton’s positive result for trenbolone was caused by his ingestion of contaminated meat, and allowed him to eventually represent the United States at the Paris Olympics.

However, when it comes to the contamination cases of the Chinese swimmers, USADA has shown a typical double standard by trying its best to clear American athletes on one hand, but on the other hand accusing CHINADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of “covering up the truth” and demanding sanctions against Chinese athletes while ignoring the repeated clarifications by WADA and the report by the Independent Prosecutor.

As reported by the media, many suspicions about Knighton’s AAF case remain unresolved. Studies have shown that trenbolone is an anabolic agent with strong enhancing effects on strength and explosiveness, and is not a common contaminant. Hundreds of AAF cases for trenbolone have occurred around the world in recent years in total, and publicly available information shows that while the athletes involved in most of these trenbolone AAF cases were essentially given a four-year ineligibility, three American athletes have escaped sanctions by claiming food contamination. In the Knighton case, the independent arbitrator concluded that the contaminated meat in this case came from a restaurant in Florida. Here’s the problem: it’s a strange coincidence that while USADA didn’t start investigation until two months later, it happened to detect trenbolone in a different batch of beef purchased from the same restaurant. If there is indeed widespread beef contamination of trenbolone in the U.S. market, has USADA ever conducted an extensive market research and collected data? Has it warned the American athletes about the problem of meat contamination? Has it studied how much contaminated meat can cause a positive test? The CEO of USADA publicly declared in a statement that “justice was served” before WADA had even reviewed the case and before the deadline for appeal had yet expired. What is even more suspicious is that this statement has now been removed from USADA’s website, along with its previous statements and releases on no-fault contamination cases. What are they trying to hide behind this unusual action?

The Knighton case just shows that USADA’s rhetoric about fairness and clean sport runs counter to its actual practices. This contradiction is even more evident in the fact that the main professional leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the U.S. have their own standards for anti-doping that are in clear conflict with the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), and that these athletes are not subject to any testing by USADA. This has created a huge backroom in sport. While USADA is a signatory to the Code, the most-watched sports leagues in the U.S.—the Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL)—are not protected by the Code, and the NCAA, the cradle of the vast majority of the most successful American athletes, has not signed the Code. The Mitchell Report published in 2006 named more than 85 active and retired baseball players who had doped. Some players claimed that 40%, 50%, or even 80% of the baseball athletes were taking steroids. The WADA President, Mr. Witold Bańka also pointed out in a recent meeting that “90% of American athletes, those in pro leagues and college sport, don’t compete under World Anti-Doping Code”.

In addition, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which came into effect in 2020, asserts criminal jurisdiction over doping cases in international sports events that occurred outside its national borders. This act, while claiming to be combating doping offenses, excludes its domestic professional leagues, college leagues and other U.S. events. This is another obvious example of the double standards that the U.S. is practicing when targeting its anti-doping work towards American athletes and athletes from other countries.

The U.S. has turned a blind eye to its long history of doping problems, but is obsessed with “cross-border jurisdiction” and asserting sanctions against other countries. It seems that the accusation and attack on China and other countries is its tactic to deflect attention from the serious flaws in its own anti-doping work. This is sheer political manipulation and hypocritical double standards. Since April this year, the U.S. Congress, USADA and the U.S. media have adopted a selective approach when it comes to the contamination cases of the Chinese swimmers when they attempt to mislead the international community and the general public by confusing right and wrong through fabrication and frame-up. Moreover, they are trying to politicize anti-doping by instigating the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to initiate a “long-arm jurisdiction” over this case by opening an investigation using its domestic judicial and administrative means. Such utterly disgraceful and despicable attempts are not only a stark double standard, but are also wanton violations of the principles of fairness and justice.

Once again, we urge USADA to cease fabricating false narratives, politicizing anti doping and manipulating public perception, to stop disrupting and undermining the well-functioning world anti-doping order and global governance system, and to put an end to the abuse of “long-arm jurisdiction” and threatening and pressuring with so-called “legal means”. We call on USADA to review the approaches and principles it has adopted in doping cases to ensure compliance with the goals of the global anti-doping system, and to demonstrate due integrity and consistency in their work. This is the right way to regain trust of the international community in its anti-doping work.