Who really keeps the Olympics clean?

With increased scandals over doping in sports, more athletes speak out about the integrity they rely on to compete fairly.

The Monitor's View

On the eve of the 2024 Summer Olympics, many world-class athletes are tracking the latest scandal over the alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency recently gave an all clear to 11 Chinese swimmers to compete in their events in Paris even though they had tested positive for a banned substance in 2021. The agency itself is now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

Yet top athletes are doing more than merely watching. They are speaking out and organizing to ensure integrity in sports remains the global norm.

“As an athlete you want to be treated fairly and [have] full transparency and make sure that in those cases those results [positive test] are not hidden and they’re not put under secrecy,” said Adam Peaty, a British breaststroke champion.

An international activist group, Global Athlete, reported last year that thousands of athletes participated in calls for probes or bans of athletes suspected of doping. The funder of the group, FairSport, says the goal is to “create a global conversation about the necessity of fair and clean sport, and to grow a movement towards violation-free sport throughout the world.”

This “clean athletics” activism relies on athletes being open and honest about their training and the ups and downs of their sports careers – including any lying or cheating. The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, told a congressional hearing last month, “We view athletes – and their powerful stories – as USADA’s guiding light, our North Star. Their stories give us hope, they remind us of our purpose, and they provide us the fuel to continue to advocate for their right to clean and fair competition.”

Leaders of this movement say it relies on respect for one’s self, other athletes, and the sport itself. “Foundational to the Olympics is the trust that clean athletes, both aspiring and current Olympians, have in the system to keep cheaters out,” stated Rep. Morgan Griffith, chair of the House subcommittee that held the hearing on doping in June.

Sport unifies people through creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance. Every honest athlete possesses and appreciates these qualities in competitors. They know the long hours, the talent, and the support from others that it takes to become Olympic-level great. It is worth celebrating every athlete on the podium, behind a microphone, or at a board table making sure sports stay clean.

“If we win, let it be because we earned it,” Allison Schmitt, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, told lawmakers. “And if we lose, let it be because the competition was fair.”