Why Michael Phelps wants lifetime ban for swimming dope cheats

New Delhi: Michael Phelps has sought lifetime bans for swimmers who are caught doping. The Olympics’ most decorated athlete with 28 medals spoke in the wake of the Chinese doping scandal.

Earlier in the year, media reports suggested that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics, forcing the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics to acknowledged its truth.

China had explained that tainted food was the cause of those positive tests, which was accepted by both the governing bodies. But overbearing scepticism was unmistakable once it was established that the results of those positive dope tests were not announced by either of the bodies.

Nine from those tainted 23 won medals at the ongoing Paris Olympics with British star Adam Peaty pointing out that he was competing in an uneven field.

Phelps also empathised with Peaty, saying the tainted Chinese swimmers shouldn’t have been allowed to compete further anywhere, let alone Olympics.

“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry. I believe one and done,” Phelps said.

“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. If you’re taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here.”

‘Called a cheater throughout’

Phelps said he was always under the scanner during his record-setting haul of 28 medals, including 23 gold medals.

“People called me a cheater throughout my career. 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,” the 39-year-old said.

“I did it the clean way. I won 23 Olympic gold medals the clean way. It can be done.”

The American said he also suspected of not competing in an even field during his career but he was helpless and could only try to improve himself to perform better.

“I don’t think I ever competed in an even playing field or a clean field. I have some speculations of some athletes that I competed against that I thought they were (doping). But that’s out of my control.”

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 Phelps said tainted Chinese swimmers shouldn’t have been allowed to compete further anywhere, let alone Olympics.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today