Although Beijing has released few details about the drugs tests, the decision to drop so many athletes just days before the Olympics appeared to confirm suspicions that cheating remains a serious problem at the top levels of Chinese sport. But supporters of the Chinese team said the harsh move underlined the commitment of Chinese sports authorities to stamping out doping, and would give China the moral high ground in the war on performance-enhancing drugs. China should be congratulated because they are willing to weaken their team to show they have a drug free Olympic games. There have been suggestions among some Australian sports officials that China, worried that a drugs scandal in Sydney might derail its bid for the 2008 Olympics, could have been panicked into excessive action, dumping athletes who may have been innocent merely as a precaution. Chinese journalists in Sydney were hurt and angry at the coverage of the drug busts, saying their team was being unfairly smeared.
People pick on China all the time.
China said it had dropped 14 track and field athletes, four swimmers, seven rowers and two canoeists. International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch has also sought to put a positive spin on the Chinese action. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similiar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters Sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.