In the wake of a Chinese doping scandal, Michael Phelps has doubled down on his call for tougher sanctions against doping athletes, advocating for lifetime bans for anyone who tests positive for a banned substance. “If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry,” Phelps declared. “I believe one and done.” The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and World Aquatics have acknowledged that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. While the results weren’t publicized until media reports surfaced this year, both organizations accepted China’s explanation that the positive tests were due to tainted food.
Nine of these swimmers won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including several as part of relay teams. This led British star Adam Peaty to complain that the playing field was uneven. Phelps echoed those sentiments, arguing that the Chinese swimmers who tested positive shouldn’t have been allowed to compete in Tokyo, Paris, or anywhere else. “If everybody is not going through that same testing, I have a serious problem because it means the level of sport is not fair and it’s not even,” he stated. “If you’re taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here.”
Throughout his career, Phelps faced scrutiny and accusations of using performance-enhancing drugs, particularly during his record-breaking performances. He addressed these concerns directly, highlighting that he subjected himself to additional testing, including blood and urine samples on a weekly basis, to prove his clean status. “People called me a cheater throughout my career. I subjected myself to more testing — blood and urine — weekly. Why? For the reason that I could say I’m not cheating and I am clean and here are the results,” he explained. “I did it the clean way,” he added. “I won 23 Olympic gold medals the clean way. It can be done.”
Phelps admitted that he always suspected some competitors of using doping substances during his five Olympic appearances, where he secured a total of 28 medals. “I don’t think I ever competed in an even playing field or a clean field,” he said. “I have some speculations of some athletes that I competed against that I thought they were (doping). But that’s out of my control.”
Since retiring from competitive swimming after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Phelps has become increasingly vocal about issues like mental health and anti-doping efforts. He recently testified before the U.S. Congress on the latter issue, demanding significant reforms to what many believe is a flawed system. “What has to happen is everybody has to come together and figure out one way to test everybody all over the world. Period,” Phelps stressed. “And if you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again.”
Phelps acknowledged the frustration of athletes like Peaty, whose British team finished fourth in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the Paris Olympics, a race won by the Chinese team. “It does break my heart to see people put hard effort into four straight years to prepare for an Olympic Games, then to have it taken away from them by somebody who is cheating,” Phelps said. “It’s not right. I stand for that and I will always stand for that.”
Phelps was impressed by Leon Marchand’s performance at his home Olympics, where the French swimmer won four individual gold medals and a relay bronze. He was particularly struck by Marchand’s victory in both the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke on the same night. “That’s probably one of the greatest doubles we’ve ever seen in the sport,” Phelps commented. He laughed when asked about Marchand being called the next Phelps. “When I was trying to compete, I was trying to be the first to ever do it,” Phelps said. “I’m sure he has that same goal.”
Despite his impressive accomplishments, Phelps dismissed speculation that he might be planning a comeback, although he believes it would be feasible for him to compete against today’s swimmers.
