The CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Travis T. Tygart has been caught lying to the world about a scheme that allowed U.S. athletes who had committed doping violations to compete without sanctions for years, said China Global Television Network (CGTN) reporter Liu Xin in a commentary released on Thursday.
The commentary goes as follows:
The Olympics are on in Paris, but there's no truce in sight.
The latest squabble between the World Anti-Doping Agency, the recognized global authority on the job known as WADA, and the U.S. national authority on anti-doping called USADA, is getting nastier. And my observation is: The head of USADA, Mr. Tygart, has shamelessly lied to the world.
Here is the story.
Reuters dropped a bombshell on August 7, reporting on a so far undisclosed dispute between WADA and USADA. It involves U.S. athletes caught doping by USADA but still allowed to compete in exchange for ratting on others. It's like the FBI cutting a deal with the mafia.
In reaction to the story, WADA sent out a statement, giving its version and more details. "WADA is now aware of at least three cases where athletes who had committed serious anti-doping rule violations were allowed to continue to compete for years while they acted as undercover agents for USADA, without it notifying WADA and without there being any provision allowing such a practice under the Code of WADA or USADA's own rules."
The athletes were caught doping between 2011 to 2014, according to WADA. But the world body was only informed of these violations ten years later in 2021. In at least one case, USADA has done so without ever publishing or sanctioning the violations. The athlete was even allowed to compete until retirement.
In fact, WADA says, the case was "never published, results never disqualified, prize money never returned, and no suspension ever served." Never, ever! WADA did not sign off on this practice.
Now, what's USADA's version? In a latest statement, its CEO Travis Tygart, who is known to have pursued Lance Armstrong's doping case, did not contest the facts provided by WADA. He insists, instead, it was a smear and a deflection attempt by WADA.
Tygart asserts that at least one of the informant's cooperation was necessary for U.S. authorities' investigation into human and drug trafficking. He says: "WADA was notified of the violations and sanctions."
Now this is crucial -- USADA admitting there were violations. Because, despite the murky details, one thing becomes crystal clear. Tygart has lied.
In this news article published by AP on June the 20th this year, when commenting on the exoneration of a U.S. athlete for the Paris Games after testing positive earlier this year, Tygart was quoted as saying:
"We did what the rules require us to do in all positive cases...We can take comfort that justice was served, and transparency, as required by the rules, was achieved."
The report went on to say, "USADA insisted it has followed the rule book in all of those cases, including making public any violation, even if it did not result in a penalty."
Tygart was referring to food contamination cases, which are unavoidable, unintended, and can be tolerated. But here we are talking about real drug cheats. It's a different story and much more serious offenses.
Talk about transparency, Mr. USADA, where was it before 2021? You knew there were serious violations, but you kept schtum. Explain yourself.
USADA CEO caught red-handed lying about athletes undercover tactics: commentary
USADA CEO caught red-handed lying about athletes undercover tactics: commentary
USADA CEO caught red-handed lying about athletes undercover tactics: commentary
Festive receptions were held by Chinese embassies to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, with the promotional video for the 2025 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala unveiled to add festive atmosphere to the events.
The Spring Festival centers around the Chinese New Year, which lands on Jan. 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
The Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan hosted a Spring Festival reception on Jan. 20 for overseas Chinese in Tajikistan. Nearly 300 people, including representatives of overseas Chinese groups such as the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Tajikistan, the Federation of Overseas Chinese, teachers and students from the local Confucius Institute, and international students in Tajikistan, gathered to celebrate the coming of the Year of the Snake.
In his speech delivered at the reception, China's Ambassador to Tajikistan Ji Shumin said that China's high-quality development and high-level opening-up have injected certainty and stability into a turbulent and changing world. China-Tajikistan cooperation in various fields has been promoted across the board, and the development of bilateral relations has reached a new level. Looking forward to 2025, China-Tajikistan relations will shine with new vitality and bring more benefits to the people of both countries, said the ambassador.
The promotional video for the 2025 CMG Spring Festival Gala was played in a loop at the reception. By watching the video, guests felt the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival and the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture.
At the reception, overseas Chinese in Tajikistan performed a variety of cultural programs created by themselves. The joyous lion dance, the melodious guzheng performance, and the passionate Tajik eagle dance added a great deal to the festive atmosphere.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, the Federation of Philippine-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Philippine-Chinese Associations, and the Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce jointly held a Spring Festival reception on Jan. 19. More than 1,000 people from the Philippine government, Congress, overseas Chinese, people from all walks of life, and foreign diplomatic envoys to the Philippines gathered to celebrate the festival.
Huang Xilian, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, extended New Year greetings to people from all walks of life in China and the Philippines, saying that the Spring Festival is a common festival for the people of many countries, including China and the Philippines, and has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. He said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, and he hopes that both countries will cherish and maintain the bilateral relations for greater benefits to the people of the two countries.
Philippine Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and Louise Araneta-Marcos, wife of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., extended new year greetings via video link. Duterte said that the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China is of great significance, and she looks forward to the two countries working together to create a harmonious and prosperous future. Marcos said that the Philippines-China relations have been developing continuously for decades, which truly reflects the long-term friendly relations between the people of the two countries.
The promotional video for the 2025 CMG Spring Festival Gala was played at the reception. The festive atmosphere and gorgeous stage design attracted the attention of all the guests present.
Chinese embassies hold receptions to celebrate upcoming Spring Festival