The Olympics have never been a fair fight. But what’s happening in boxing and swimming is shameful

Paris: The Main Press Centre at the Olympic Games is best described as a rabbit warren of temporary newsrooms separated by flimsy prefab walls representing organisations from around the globe.

Whoever decided where the offices were placed at the Paris Games must have been taking the proverbial.

Pan Zhanle won the 100m freestyle final, but China’s swimmers have largely underperformed in Paris.Credit: Getty Images

Sandwiched between the offices of Nine Publishing and News Corp Australia is the China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper owned by the publicity department of the Chinese Communist Party.

Given the tension between the countries in a sporting context, mostly fuelled by Australian suspicions about having to compete against juiced-up Chinese athletes, the placement is curious at best.

Those suspicions are presently off the charts after 19-year-old Pan Zhanle won gold in the men’s 100m freestyle at the Paris la Défense Arena on Wednesday night, beating Australian Kyle Chalmers by more than a second. Romania’s David Popovici, a former world-record holder in this event, claimed bronze.

Pan broke his own world record set at the world championships earlier this year to claim gold. It was the first of the meet at a makeshift pool erected in the middle of a football arena that most competitors have characterised as “slow”.

After his stunning victory, a disbelieving hush fell over the crowd. Collective eyebrows were cocked and eyeballs collectively rolled. He swam how fast?

Chalmers was gracious in defeat, refusing post-race to raise suspicions about Pan’s time, although there was no need because most minds had already gone there.

This is the reality China must face after decades of secrecy about their testing regime. Stunning performance or enhanced performance? The spectre of doping is often harder to remove than the stain.

The World Anti-Doping Authority must equally wear blame for the atmosphere of distrust that pervades the pool despite the absorbing performances we’ve thus witnessed.

Pan complained after his final that Chalmers and other swimmers had snubbed him, but what else could he expect after revelations in April that CHINADA, the country’s anti-doping agency, had cleared 23 swimmers to compete in the Tokyo Games despite testing positive to a banned heart medication?

Qin Haiyang has been heavily tested since 2001. He didn’t reach the final in the 200m breaststroke in Paris.Credit: AP

WADA accepted China’s claim that contamination in the kitchen of the hotel where the athletes were staying had been at play, although nobody has ever explained how the heart medication found its way into the air vents and spice racks.

Why? Because they can’t.

Pan wasn’t one of those 23 athletes. He insisted in an interview with China Daily after his win in the 100m that a “scientific training program” was responsible for his fast times.

“I took 21 doping tests from May to July prior to the Games and had no positive results at all,” he said. “It was no big deal as long as the testing was conducted fairly and according to rules. I cooperated with all the testing and stay confident that I am competing fair and clean.”

That number stands out: his teammate, Qin Haiyang, this week revealed that he, too, was subjected to 21 tests from CHINADA.

Qin was one of the 23 busted in 2021 but still allowed to compete. He didn’t reach the final in the 200m breaststroke.

You can’t help but wonder if China, its athletes, its anti-doping agency and state-funded media grow tired of being suspected as drug cheats.

With that in mind, I wanted to talk to someone from the China Daily about it all, but nobody answered when I repeatedly knocked on the door throughout Thursday.

I still can’t work out whether anyone was there or not.

A level playing field?

Which brings us to women’s boxing.

Whatever you write or say about women who have failed gender eligibility tests competing in women’s competitions is certain to elicit a range of opinions.

Gender is a complex issue at the best of times, let alone within the framework of competitive sport, but sometimes it isn’t difficult to work out what’s right and wrong.

You only need watch.

The sight of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif busting the nose of Italian Angela Carini, who subsequently retired fearing further injury, was one of the most shameful sights in Olympics history.

Italy’s Angela Carini fights back tears at the end of her aborted fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif.Credit: Eddie Jim

Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting were last year banned by the International Boxing Association after reportedly failing gender tests, but the IOC has inexplicably allowed them to compete in Paris.

While you can empathise with both, anyone with a semblance of knowledge about boxing understands this is dangerous and must not be allowed to happen.

The lack of transparency from all concerned about the gender status of both these athletes is unfair on them as much as the women who are wary about fighting them.

NRL boss poised to make Olympic splash

These Olympics are crawling with celebrities. Infested almost.

Former Microsoft boss Bill Gates at the tennis. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger at the fencing. US basketballers Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, as well as IOC preso Thomas Bach, at the women’s all-around to see Simone Biles.

NRL bosses Andrew Abdo and Peter V’landys with Nine host James Bracey in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Meanwhile, ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys and chief executive Andrew Abdo were on Thursday night spotted at the beach volleyball being wined and dined by Channel Nine execs.

As revealed in this space last week, the rugby league bosses have flown to Paris as guests of Nine, publisher of this masthead.

They attended the men’s water polo match between Greece and the US.

“One of the players was injured and I thought I’d need to dive in,” V’landys, who is of Greek heritage, joked.

After dining with Nine chair Catherine West on Thursday, V’landys attended the night of beach volleyball in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower alongside Nine host James Bracey.

THE QUOTE

“I did not need special equipment. I am a natural shooter.” — Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, 51, who with no specialised lenses, eye cover, nor ear protection channelled his inner Jason Bourne to claim silver in the mixed team 10m air pistol.

THUMBS UP

There have been some nice touches from Paris organisers for medal winners. They receive a unique medal with a piece of the Eiffel Tower as the centrepiece. The next day, they are whisked away to Champions Park, which is located in Trocadero Gardens beneath the Eiffel Tower and walk the catwalk to the roar of the crowd, who can enter for free.

THUMBS DOWN

Nigeria’s national champion in the women’s 100m sprint won’t run at because she says her country’s track federation didn’t enter her into the field in time. So said Favour Ofili on social media: “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres at this Olympic Games.”

It’s a big day in Paris for … Teddy Riner, the French heavyweight judoka and three-time Olympic champion who came out of retirement after giving it away in 2017 to compete at his home Games.

It’s an even bigger day in Paris for … the purple track at Stade de France, which is ready to start competition on the track on Friday. The highlight is the men’s 10,000m with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world champ in this event and the 5000m, the favourite.

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