Michael Phelps Stands Firm on Lifetime Ban for Doping in Sports

Michael Phelps has reinforced his stance on doping, advocating for lifetime bans for athletes who test positive for banned substances. "If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry," Phelps stated. "I believe one and done."

The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics have confirmed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics. These results were only disclosed after media reports emerged this year. Both organisations accepted China's explanation that the positive tests were due to tainted food.

Unfair Competition Concerns

Nine of these swimmers won medals in Paris, with several participating in relay teams. British swimmer Adam Peaty expressed frustration over the uneven playing field. Phelps echoed these concerns, asserting that those who tested positive should not have competed in Tokyo or Paris.

"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 said. "If you're taking that risk, then you don't belong in here."

During his career, Phelps faced scrutiny over his performances, with some questioning if he used performance-enhancing drugs. To dispel doubts, he underwent extra testing before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won eight gold medals.

"People called me a cheater throughout my career," Phelps said during a media event hosted by Omega. "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. I did it the clean way," he added. "I won 23 Olympic gold medals the clean way. It can be done."

Advocating for Reforms

Phelps has always suspected some competitors of doping during his five Olympic appearances, where he won 28 medals overall. "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 after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Phelps has been vocal about mental health and anti-doping issues. He recently testified before the U.S. Congress, calling for significant reforms to what many see as 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 said. "And if you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again."

Phelps empathises with athletes like Peaty, whose British team finished fourth in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay on Sunday — a race won by China. "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."

He also had advice for those considering cheating: "Go ahead and go to the cheater games," he said. "Keep the Olympics about integrity."