Imagine testing positive for a banned substance and facing a two-year ban in your respective sport without ever consuming the substance — or so you thought. That's the dilemma that many athletes are facing leading up to the 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships.
According to NBC News, Chinese beef and pork have been linked to steroid use in cattle and pigs, meaning that athletes could unknowingly consume substances that jeopardize their ability to compete.
The NBC report notes that a recent study conducted by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab in Cologne, Germany, discovered that 22 out of 28 travelers returning from China tested positive for clenbuterol, an anabolic agent that builds muscle and burns fat.
Apparently, Chinese farmers use clenbuterol to speed up animal growth and develop lean meat in them.
In fact, two athletes reportedly have already fallen victim to the contaminated food.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov, a German tennis player, tested positive for the substance last year, and Adam Seroczynski, a Polish canoeist, tested positive at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
