Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A Chinese doping investigation

On Saturday, my colleagues published a shocking revelation: Seven months before the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, 23 of China’s best swimmers tested positive for the same banned drug at a domestic meet.

Chinese officials secretly cleared them of doping. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees national drug-testing programs, accepted China’s theory that a mass contamination event was to blame and allowed China to keep the results secret.

Several athletes who tested positive — including nearly half of the Chinese swimming team sent to Tokyo — went on to win medals, including three golds. Many still compete for China. Some, including the two-time gold medalist Zhang Yufei, above, are expected to compete in Paris this summer.

The investigation has shaken the swimming world. An American who won silver in Tokyo said she felt her team had been “cheated.” A British gold medalist is demanding bans. The sports minister in Germany, where a documentary on the case was broadcast Sunday, demanded an investigation. And global antidoping officials are fighting bitterly.

Recap: Read takeaways from the investigation.