NYT questioned the independence of Prosecutor Cottier in the case of WADA and Chinese swimmers
The United States questioned the independence of prosecutor Eric Cottier, appointed to investigate the case of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Chinese swimmers. This opinion is given in the material of The New York Times (NYT).
According to the publication, Cottier may be associated with WADA and with the main source (50 percent) of its budget – the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is noted that he previously served as prosecutor general of the Swiss canton of Vaud, where the headquarters of the IOC is located.
In addition, American Rahul Gupta, a member of the WADA executive committee, said that WADA, without discussion, confronted the executive committee with the fact of appointing Cottier as prosecutor in the case. In a letter to WADA, he stated that “the executive committee was not adequately provided with important information throughout the entire process.”
On April 20, it became known that in January 2021, banned trimetazidine was found in the samples of 23 Chinese swimmers. China said traces of the drug were found in the kitchen of the hotel where the athletes stayed during the competition. WADA did not punish the swimmers, allowing them to compete at the Tokyo Olympics that same year.
WADA also explained the difference in verdicts in the cases of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and Chinese swimmers. The organization said there was no evidence in the swimmers’ case to suggest a doping scenario and the findings supported the theory of accidental contamination.
Source: Lenta
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