Australia’s Olympic champion threatens podium protest over China doping scandal

Stubblety-Cook won a gold medal and set an Olympic record in the 200m breaststroke in Tokyo.

But the 25-year-old faces a tough task of winning gold once again in Paris as he comes up against China’s Qin Haiyang, who broke the Australian’s 200m breaststroke world record at the World Aquatics Championships a year ago.

Qin is one of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart medication seven months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but was still allowed to compete.

Chinese authorities claimed that the kitchen at their team hotel was contaminated, which was the reason for the positive tests, and that explanation was accepted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

‘I absolutely believe in clean sport and I hope that this is clean games,’ he said.

‘It’s obviously disappointing to hear that news and hear about the pre-Tokyo 23 athletes testing positive, some multiple times. And for me racing someone that was one of those athletes, or finding out he was one of those athletes, was disappointing.

‘I think it’s less about what country they came from and more about the system and how the system ultimately, it feels like it’s failed.

‘That’s the truth. Obviously, I can have all the opinions, but I am now focused on what I can control going into these games, being a clean athlete and looking to that, and hoping that my competitors are doing the same.’

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