British three-time Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty has expressed the need for a “fair game” amidst ongoing anti-doping concerns on the opening morning of Olympic swimming in Paris.
Following months of disputes, intense allegations, and fierce rebuttals brought to light by anti-doping revelations involving 23 Chinese swimmers, the time had finally come for competitive swimming to commence. While the morning events unfolded without incident, the underlying political controversies remained ever-present.
“As an athlete, it’s always at the back of your mind,” Peaty remarked after securing the second fastest time in the men’s 100m breaststroke heats. “You definitely want a fair game, to win fair and be alongside others who uphold the same values.”
Peaty’s Chinese competitor, Qin Haiyang, who previously tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics but faced no suspension due to anti-doping authorities citing environmental contamination, qualified ninth in the heats. On Friday, Qin claimed that a “European and American” conspiracy was behind the intensified anti-doping scrutiny of the Chinese team in Paris.
“That’s all I’ll say on that – I think we all understand what I’m referring to,” Peaty commented. “Yet, we have our tasks to focus on, so we can’t allow that to cloud our journey.”
The ongoing war in Ukraine was also a significant backdrop in the breaststroke events, with Evgenii Somov, the only Russian swimmer competing this week under neutral status, qualifying for the semi-finals in 13th place. He will be joined in the next round by Belarusian Ilya Shymanovich, also competing under neutral status, who finished just behind Peaty in third.
America’s Katie Ledecky qualified with the fastest time for Saturday evening’s women’s 400m freestyle final, outperforming Australia’s defending Olympic champion, Ariarne Titmus. The final is anticipated as one of the highlights of the event, with Ledecky and Titmus going head-to-head against Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh.
After the audience-free swim meet at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, competitors were eager to race before a near-full crowd at La Défense Arena, a 30,000-seat arena converted from an indoor rugby venue.
“I’m really delighted to have a crowd here – so many GB flags in the stands,” said Peaty’s teammate James Wilby, who qualified sixth in the breaststroke. “The most important aspect for me at this entire Games is knowing that my family is somewhere in those stands, and that’s a memory we’ll cherish for a lifetime.”
Nonetheless, the controversies of recent months still persisted. “Clean, fair competition is what we all aspire to,” Wilby added.
