Why US edits pictures, deletes published statement when faced with doping doubts

In the face with lingering doubts about whether American athletes are involved in drug violations, why the United States chose to edit pictures and delete published statement? Yuyuantantian, a Chinese social media account raised the question with a short video on Saturday.

According to the video, some American swimmers had a purple discoloration on their faces after completing their races in the Paris Olympics swimming events, which has already sparked widespread online discussion and suspicion.

Instead of giving a clear answer, the U.S. Embassy in China on Thursday posted on its social media account a group of photos of its medalists in swimming, and the purple appearance of some athletes just turned back to "normal. "

Compared to photos from other media, it's clear that the photos of swimmers used by the U.S. Embassy have color changed, the video pointed out.

In addition, the video mentioned that there are doubts over the doping case of American Olympic sprinter Erriyon Knighton.

Knighton, who won silver in the 200m at the 2023 World Championships and bronze in the same event in 2022, tested positive for the banned steroid trenbolone in an out-of-competition test in March this year. He was provisionally suspended in April following the positive test.

Following hearings on 14 and 16 June in which Knighton, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and other witnesses participated, an independent arbitrator, ruled that the substance came from contaminated meat and the case should be treated as a "no fault" violation.

This ruling means that Knighton, despite testing positive, would be able to compete in the upcoming track and field trials which began on June 21. The USADA published a statement on the decision on 19 June. The U.S. track and field later announced its Paris Olympic roster on July 9, including Knighton for men's 200m.

In the Knighton case, all investigation results came from USADA alone, and their authenticity has yet to be verified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA.) The video pointed out that Knighton's "statement of innocence" has been withdrawn from USADA's official website. Also withdrawn are statements and reports on his past faultless cases.

If the United States has nothing to hide on doping in the sports field, why it bothered to do all these, the video raised the question.

Why US edits pictures, deletes published statement when faced with doping doubts

Why US edits pictures, deletes published statement when faced with doping doubts

Russia claimed on Thursday that its forces had struck Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine, while Ukraine reported on the same day that numerous energy facilities across the country were hit by Russian missiles and drones.

In a report, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had destroyed armored vehicles, UK- and US-made howitzers, as well as ammunition depots and military airport infrastructure of the Ukrainian side.

Russian air defense systems had also intercepted a Neptune missile and shot down 49 drones of the Ukrainian army, according to the report.

The ministry further announced that, in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, its forces had recently launched 100 missiles and deployed 466 drones, targeting sites where Ukrainian troops had positioned Western-supplied long-range weapon systems.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said on Thursday that energy facilities across Ukraine were struck by Russian forces, leading to emergency power outages in Kiev, Odesa, and other regions.

On Friday, Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian missiles and drones targeted much of western Ukraine, prompting nationwide air raid alerts.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces on Thursday reported that dozens of battles took place along the frontlines that afternoon.

It also noted that the situation remains tense, with the fiercest fighting concentrated in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions.

Ukrainian forces are taking all necessary measures to prevent Russian troops from breaching their defenses, it added.

Russia claims strikes on Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine, Ukraine reports Russian strikes on energy facilities