Beijing 2022: Olympic athletes warned not to eat meat products in China by anti-doping agency, as they ‘are likely to include banned substances’

The World Anti-Doping Agency issues warning about possibility of meat in China containing banned steroid clenbuterol

The US and European countries do not allow drug to be used in animal products, but the practice is still common elsewhere

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Wada has warned athletes not to eat any meat in China while attending the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo: EPA

Published: 9:15pm, 17 Jan 2022Updated: 9:45pm, 18 Jan 2022

The World Anti-Doping Agency has once again warned athletes heading to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to “exercise extreme caution” when eating meat products in China, due to a high likelihood of it being contaminated with banned substances.

A Wada spokesperson outlined that athletes only “eat at places given the all-clear by event organisers”, as first reported in Inside the Games. Wada said meat in China has been known to contain low levels of the steroid clenbuterol, which would produce a positive test result as a PED (performance-enhancing drug).

Clenbuterol has come into the news in recent years as multiple athletes have tested positive for the banned substance – from mixed martial arts fighters to CrossFit athletes – which Wada classifies as an “anabolic agent”.

In 2011, Wada released a statement clarifying that “there is no threshold under which this substance is not prohibited”. However, they also admitted “it is possible that under certain circumstances the presence of a low level of clenbuterol in an athlete sample can be the result of food contamination”.

Wada has warned athletes not to eat local meat in China while at the Games. Photo: AFP

Medical News Today explains that clenbuterol stimulates the heart and central nervous system, similar to epinephrine and amphetamines. It is still approved for humans in some countries, however it is a banned substance in the United States.

Beijing 2022: Olympic athletes warned not to eat meat products in China by anti-doping agency, as they ‘are likely to include banned substances’

The World Anti-Doping Agency issues warning about possibility of meat in China containing banned steroid clenbuterol The US and European countries do not allow drug to be used in animal products, but the practice is still common elsewhere

The World Anti-Doping Agency issues warning about possibility of meat in China containing banned steroid clenbuterol

The US and European countries do not allow drug to be used in animal products, but the practice is still common elsewhere