WADA has been under heavy fire since the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported in April that the swimmers had shown traces for trimetazidine at a domestic meet before the Tokyo Olympics and were still allowed to compete. The recent investigation by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, which was delivered Tuesday and labelled "thorough, expeditious and complete" by the international policing body, was intended to soothe critics but the sentiment was not mutual, as athlete-led pressure groups profoundly disagreed with the results and the United States Anti-Doping Agency considered the effort “futile”.

The IOC, however, did not hesitate to back WADA on Thursday, accepting the thesis in the report, which in turn did not dispute the original findings by the Chinese anti-doping authorities that the athletes ingested the substance unwittingly from contaminated food. The international agency accepted the argument back in 2021 and did not sanction the athletes, some of whom went on to win medals at the Tokyo Games and have again been selected for the upcoming Paris Olympics. It once more admitted the theory after Cottier’s investigation and, on Thursday, after yet another round of intense worldwide backlash, found expected support from Lausanne.

"Based on this report, the IOC reaffirms its full confidence in WADA and its leadership, who have implemented a number of initiatives that have strengthened the system in recent years," read the statement by the IOC, which also underlined the need for unqualified support from stakeholders and called for calm to be restored within the agency. "The IOC appeals to all stakeholders to respect the supreme authority of WADA in the fight against doping. This respect forms the basis on which WADA was founded by the governments of the world and the Olympic Movement. This respect is essential for any fair international competition."

With just 14 days to go until the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris and eleven of the suspect swimmers having been selected to compete in the Games by China’s Olympic Committee, the case is still quite candescent and especially contentious between WADA, American officials and even law enforcement, as US Congress recently held hearings on the matter with swimming icon Michael Phelps criticising the international agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation possibly stepping in.

"Days ago, the international federation for swimming acknowledged a federal law enforcement investigation into this situation," Travis Tygart, president of the United Sates Anti-Doping Agency reminded the athletes earlier this week, before Cottier’s report went public. "Let's hope that if this WADA review doesn't get to the bottom of it that then that reported US investigation will ultimately hold the organizations accountable to the extent that they can."

Tygart and others keep accusing WADA of covering up the Chinese positive tests when they fist surfaced, while the international agency’s president, Witold Banka, maintains that the incessant criticism is due to geopolitical tensions, considers said allegations "disgusting” and threatens legal action. "I am very sad that people tried to accuse us of really terrible things. If this case had happened in another country than China, it would not have brought attention," he said Tuesday, adding  that the Executive Committee was satisfied that he had access to all the elements he needed to reach his conclusions that WADA did not show bias towards China and that its decision not to appeal the swimming case was "indisputably reasonable" based on the evidence.

"There is nothing in the file -- which is complete -- to suggest that WADA showed favouritism or deference, or in any way favoured the 23 swimmers who tested positive for TMZ," Cottier’s report stated.

Like USADA, SafeSport and Global Athlete also considered that the report addressing allegations of a WADA cover-up “was inherently flawed from the outset due to its limited scope and independence.” Both entities insisted that Cottier’s conclusions “continue to support WADA’s narrative of no wrongdoing and fail to provide the necessary transparency to effectively debunk this case.”

Back in May, former WADA boss Dick Pound, who remains an IOC honorary member,did insist that Banka’s claims that USADA's actions may have a political dimension seemed fair. "USADA is financed by the United States government. That government is currently in a chilly relationship with China's government. Could there be a connection?" he asked. "The claim that WADA has in some way inappropriately favoured China is completely false. WADA applies the World Anti-Doping Code and the related standards in an even-handed way," he argued.

As the Games near and athletes’ and officials’ protest persist, the IOC keeps looking onward, WADA braces itself for what could come next and China marches ahead, hoping to establish world-dominance in the Paris pool.