Confusion continues over China’s contamination claims as drug tester says it’s ‘very unusual’

A former athlete turned pharmacist who founded a drug testing company, which is used by the AFL and NRL, has labelled China’s confusing food contamination claim as ‘very unusual’.

The criticism of the Chinese swimmers continues. Picture: Fred Lee/Getty Images

A former netballer who founded a company which tests for banned drugs has branded China’s “kitchen cock-up’’ excuse in the latest scandal “very unusual.’’

Former Queensland Firebird Karen Brown is at the frontline of drug prevention for athletes in her role as the founder of Batch Tested, a company which many AFL, NRL and Olympic athletes employ as a third party safety net to test supplements for banned drugs.

As a pharmacist, pharmacy owner and Batch Test founder, Brown wears several hats when it comes to clean sport and has been monitoring the latest drugs scandal with interest as China scrambles to defend how 23 athletes could deliver positive tests to the banned heart drug Trimetazidine.

Chinese officials claim the results were a consequence of food contamination at a hotel, an explanation which raised eyebrows around the world given the incident occurred in the midst of the Covid era amid strict protocols.

China is yet to explain how prescription only drug pills could contaminate so many athletes via food intake.

“There have been cases of food contamination before but predominantly they are steroids due to meat,’’ Brown told this masthead.

“That medication (Trimetazidine) obviously it is not used in Australia and only sporadically used across the world. It is very interesting that it has supposedly been found in a hotel across multiple sources (23 athletes) – that’s very unusual.

“Food contamination is not unheard of … but from such a rare medication (it is).’’

If China’s contamination theory is correct, the recklessness of it is at odds with the rest of the world where swimmers and officials take enormous precautions to protect themselves from the threat of contamination.

“Athletes are so paranoid about it they will keep samples of products they use,’’ Brown said.

“It’s amazing how diligent our athletes are, particularly the swimmers and the level they go to.

“I know some athletes say they will not even buy a smoothie at a cafe in case the previous customer had a protein powder in the blender and the blender wasn’t properly cleaned.

“Certainly the science behind drug testing has become so incredibly sensitive they can pick up the minutest trace of a prohibited substance. But to be across multiple sources of such a rare drug is unusual.

“The swimmers are tested more than anyone. They have to submit their diaries and where they are going to be at every point of the day in case they (the drug testers) turn up at their door.’’