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Swimming
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‘China doping scandal should not dominate Paris Olympics’ – world swimming champion concerned ahead of Games

  • Lewis Clareburt hopes his second Olympics will be remembered for the action in the pool
  • New Zealander will bid for a first Olympic medal to add to his 400-metre individual medley world title

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New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt is aiming for a first Olympic swimming medal in Paris. Photo: Reuters
Reuters

World champion swimmer Lewis Clareburt hopes his second Olympics will be remembered for the action in the pool rather than rancour over a Chinese doping case that has dominated in the lead-up to the Paris Games.

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The New Zealander will bid for a first Olympic medal to add to his 400-metre individual medley (IM) world title when he swims the event, along with the 200m IM and 200m butterfly.

Like many top swimmers, Clareburt was shocked by revelations 23 Chinese athletes tested positive for the same banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2021, then cleared of wrongdoing by a Chinese investigation.

Clareburt said he hoped sport would remain the focus in the pool at the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics.

“It may distract the world and there may be a protest, I’m not too sure, but it definitely does suck that this has come out right before the Olympics because this is distracting people from the actual point of the Olympics,” the 24-year-old said on Wednesday. “We’re here to race and showcase our sport and showcase the world coming together.”

Lewis Clareburt hopes the focus at the Paris Olympics will aimed toward action in the pool. Photo: AFP
Lewis Clareburt hopes the focus at the Paris Olympics will aimed toward action in the pool. Photo: AFP
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which initially accepted China’s finding in 2021, launched an independent review of the case last week amid pressure from athletes and national anti-doping authorities.
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