Athletes say the anti-doping system is stacked against them and appeal for help

Athletes pay a high price for mistakes and flaws in the international anti-doping system, said Allison Wagner, director of Athlete and International Relations at the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), during the session 'WADA and the fallout from the Chinese swimmers’ case' at Play the Game 2025.

A case in point is former professional cyclist Lizzy Banks from the UK. Two years ago, a positive test shattered her world. 

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport found me to be an athlete of integrity, not to have cheated and to have taken the utmost care in my anti-doping responsibilities, and yet they gave me a sanction of 3 years, 2 months and 8 days, as they did not backdate the sanction despite their protracted delays,” she said in her speech at the session.

“I had to fight CAS to get my sanction “fairly” backdated. It took three more months, and the CAS wouldn’t consider putting the backdating before the panel unless they were paid 10,000 Swiss francs. Two months ago, 803 days after my urine sample, I finally received a revised arbitral award, a backdated sanction, but too little too late, I had already served 2 years 2 months and 11 days.”

The honest athlete’s worst nightmare

Lizzy Banks described her positive case as ‘the honest athlete’s worst nightmare’. Of five nearly identical cases over a period of nine months, she received the longest sanction of all. And she has no doubt about why:

“Because I publicly criticised WADA, because I fought for fairness. I fought for what is right, and I was outright punished by WADA and CAS for daring to stand up to the system.”

After the tribunal, Lizzy Banks struggled to sleep:

“I had nightmares so vivid and in which I was so deeply trapped that I would scream out loud, but I couldn’t wake up and free myself from them,” she said.

“Preparing for today’s talk gave me a panic attack when I rewatched some of the CAS tribunal video to confirm my facts. I needn’t have watched it, because the memories of that day are etched into my mind, I will never be able to forget that hell.”

Appeal for help to change the system

The former professional cyclist said she has spent many days in the pits of depression since the tribunal.

“I have spent so many nights no longer wanting to suffer the pain of this world. Being an athlete is not a job, it’s an identity, it’s every bit of who you are, and when it’s stolen from you, what is left?”

According to Lizzy Banks, WADA and CAS are prepared to do whatever it takes to retain the power they hold; they will win at all costs, she said, and she appealed for help in her fight to change the anti-doping system.

“In the past days, these rooms have been filled with the most inspiring people, doing the most challenging work. But I am sick and tired of hearing that nothing will ever change.”

The pain cannot be undone

Lizzy Banks said there is a way to change the leadership at WADA and CAS, whom she accused of chronically cheating the system, and she believes there is a way to make them accountable.

“But it rests on you. Not just to change, but to change your outlook, change your thinking. Think that yes, there will be challenges, but we can do this, and this is how. There is a lot of power in this room, so use it for good. That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? Use the power in your hands to come together as one and say no to a system which refuses to protect the integrity of sport,” she said.

“The pain and destruction WADA and CAS inflicted upon me cannot be undone. We cannot change the past, but we can change the future. And we must. Because I, and so many other athletes, are surviving examples of why we need new governance, and why we need it now.”

Anti-doping journalist was moved to tears

The German anti-doping journalist Hajo Seppelt found Lizzy Banks’ speech was so moving that he had trouble holding back tears.

“For me, it was a very emotional moment to learn how unfair the system of anti-doping can be. I don’t know Lizzy Banks personally, but if what she said is correct, there have been so many failures in the handling of her case,” Hajo Seppelt said to Play the Game after the session. 

In 2024, Hajo Seppelt exposed the case of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) but still were allowed to take part in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

In her presentation, Allison Wagner from USADA said that the way WADA and the Chinese anti-doping agency CHINADA handled the case may have affected the distribution of 96 Olympic medals and 1.3 million US dollars in prize money.

“Athletes are experiencing that the anti-doping system is not working as well as it needs to in a variety of ways. Athletes are very good at looking at problems and goals with a critical mind and addressing them with solutions that are practical and applicable, and they don’t see that happening in the global anti-doping system,” Allison Wagner noted.

She added that the athletes especially don’t see it happening quickly enough, and they don’t understand why.

“They want a system that is changing in ways that are improving and respect their sacrifices and commitment to compete fairly and cleanly”.

According to Allison Wagner, people who are dedicated to serving athletes and their rights should do something about it.

“There is a lot of talk around the world about 'we serve athletes, we are athlete-focused'. What I hear from athletes is 'show me the list of things that you do. We don’t care about the words. We want to know what you are doing'," said Allison Wagner. 

After the session, she told Play the Game that athletes noticed and paid attention to the details shared about the 23 Chinese swimmers, who knew about the positive tests, and what was done about it.

"They know about the situation, they want answers to their questions, and they are still waiting for these answers," Allison Wagner said.

Athletes may have to wait a while yet. During the session at Play the Game, Hajo Seppelt revealed that WADA is now apparently pursuing whistleblowers rather than answering the many questions in the Chinese case.

“They have an operation called ‘Puncture’, and this operation has as its goal to find and identify our sources. We talk about China and people who may be in enormous personal danger,” the German journalist said.

Watch the session 'WADA and the fallout of the Chinese swimmers case'