Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete of all time who dominated the pool during the prime of his career, made his stance on the punishment for those caught doping very clear.
He wants them out.
“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry,” Phelps said. “I believe one-and-done.”
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Former Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps is interviewed on the pool deck ahead of the evening session at the Summer Olympics, July 28, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Phelps’ comments on Monday came as the swimming world is still reeling from the Chinese doping scandal that bubbled up before the Paris Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics acknowledged that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and were allowed to compete anyway. The positive test was allegedly because of tainted food.
But the explanation hasn’t set well with other competitors as nine of those swimmers won medals as part of teams in Paris.
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Michael Phelps holds the U.S. flag after the podium ceremony of the men’s swimming 4×100-meter medley relay final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 13, 2016. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)
“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,” Phelps added. “If you’re taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here.”
Phelps said he took extra testing when he faced allegations of cheating himself.
“People called me a cheater throughout my career,” Phelps said. “I subjected myself to do 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.
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Former U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps attends the men’s golf individual stroke play of the Paris Olympic Games on Aug. 1, 2024. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
“I did it the clean way,” he added. “I won 23 Olympic gold medals the clean way. It can be done.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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