World Aquatics Director Subpoenaed in Chinese Swimmers Doping Case

World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki has been subpoenaed by the U.S. government to testify in an investigation into 23 Chinese swimmers who avoided punishment after testing positive for banned drugs before the Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. DOJ and WADA are under scrutiny for their handling of the case.

World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki has been subpoenaed by the U.S. government to provide testimony in an investigation concerning 23 Chinese swimmers who evaded penalties after testing positive for banned substances prior to the Tokyo Olympics.

Earlier this year, a U.S. House of Representatives committee urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe the doping case, which has since shaken the world of competitive swimming, ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) faces intensifying pressure and scrutiny to clarify how these swimmers, some of whom secured gold medals in Tokyo, managed to escape punishment.

"World Aquatics can confirm that its Executive Director, Brent Nowicki, was served with a witness subpoena by the United States government," World Aquatics relayed in a statement to Reuters. "Nowicki is actively coordinating with the government to arrange a meeting, which might eliminate the necessity for testimony before a Grand Jury."

Representatives from the DOJ and FBI have yet to respond to requests for comments on these developments. Meanwhile, WADA acknowledged awareness of the investigation but stated it had not been contacted by law enforcement, defending its management of the case.

"WADA diligently reviewed the Chinese swimmer case, consulting scientific and legal experts, ultimately determining that it was not in a position to contest the contamination scenario, thus making an appeal unwarranted," WADA elaborated in a statement. "Guided by scientific analysis and expert consultation, we uphold our determination despite the incomplete and misleading news reports driving this investigation."

An independent review of WADA's case handling by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier could be made public as soon as next week.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)