Despite starting the day at the Paris 2024 Press Centre with top stars from various aquatic disciplines, including swimmer Caeleb Dressel, diver Tom Daley, and artistic swimmer Jaqueline Simoneau amongst others, Al-Musallam and his Executive Director Brent Nowicki faced challenging moments more akin to a judicial interrogation than a sports press conference.

It was expected that journalists would not miss the opportunity to discuss the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine before Tokyo 2021, 11 of whom will compete in the La Défense arena in Nanterre from this Saturday.

Faced with this hostile scenario, Al-Musallam and Nowicki stood their ground and responded with an increasingly serious and energetic tone to the incessant questions from the international press, particularly the American press, which seemed to treat this as a matter of state.

The process of investigating these positives from three years ago, which were not considered doping but rather an accidental contamination through food, was strongly questioned. This issue was not made public until it was exposed in April this year by Germany's ARD and the New York Times.

"World Aquatics has done its job," was the first defence from Kuwaiti-born Al-Musallam, who will be in charge of international aquatics from 2021.

In its fight against doping, the WA announced the successful completion of the most comprehensive and rigorous testing programme in its history ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The testing programme, designed and implemented by the International Testing Agency, includes a wide range of in-competition and out-of-competition tests. Since 1 January 2024, a total of 2,145 anti-doping tests have been carried out on athletes participating in the Paris Olympic Games, marking significant progress in this area.

"Both we, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and an independent external expert have come to the same conclusion. They were found not to have done anything wrong," the WA said.

Some of the 23 implicated swimmers are strong contenders for Olympic gold in Paris, such as Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei, which could be seen as a disadvantage to other swimmers who have not been judged by the same standards regarding irregularities.

"We trust the work of WADA and the other bodies that have come to the same conclusion. All athletes at the Games were tested, some every 15 to 20 days. This ensures that every competing swimmer is clean," defended Al-Musallam, not only the Chinese swimmers but all athletes in general.

According to WA officials, the system has improved. The anti-doping system and organisation have been modernised, although they admit that there is still work to be done.

"The rules apply to everyone, without exception. We have to trust the athletes, then everyone can have their opinion," they said in response to the harsh criticism from stars such as Katie Ledecky and even Michael Phelps about the system used for these 23 positive cases.

After the intense press conference, the WA President moved to a more relaxed atmosphere at the Piscine Municipale Gerard Durant in the Parisian district of Clichy.

Symbolically, Clichy is just a stone's throw from the Paris 2024 Aquatics Centre, where the world's best will compete for Olympic glory from Saturday 27 July.

In a more relaxed environment with children and teachers at the pool, Husain Al-Musallam officially launched Discover Water alongside top international athletes such as Anthony Ervin and Pernille Blume. The programme aims to provide young children around the world with the education and skills they need to enjoy water sports safely.

On World Drowning Prevention Day, World Aquatics took the opportunity to launch its programme, which is specifically aimed at children aged 6-12, although its educational tools and lessons can benefit people of all ages. To maximise the potential and reach of the Discover Water programme, World Aquatics will be taking a collaborative approach to activations with National Federations.

"World Aquatics and our 210 National Federations remain committed to working with the entire aquatics family to promote water safety and reduce the risk of drowning, and this initiative is just one of the many steps we are taking," said Al-Musallam.

"In order for this programme to be sustainable and effective, it is so important to target young children between the ages of 6 and 12 to develop their aquatic literacy and equip them with key education and skills to enjoy and experience the water.

"I am proud to be here on World Drowning Prevention Day to launch the Discover Water programme. Aquatics should bring people joy and enrich their lives, and we are confident that this programme will give more people the confidence to participate in aquatics safely".

Working with its partners, World Aquatics has developed a toolkit that includes a guide and a playbook. The toolkit is designed to provide educators and coaches with the resources they need to effectively implement the programme and promote holistic development in aquatic education.

The launch event was held in conjunction with the Fédération Française de Natation (FFN) to round off a hectic day.

The Olympic swimming events will take place from 27 July to 4 August, with a total of 35 competitions: 17 men's, 17 women's and one mixed relay.

A total of 852 athletes will compete in the swimming events at Paris 2024, with a maximum of 26 men's and 26 women's entries per National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Barring any unforeseen changes due to weather or pollution, the Pont Alexandre III over the Seine will be the epicentre of the open water events on 8 and 9 August.