Photos of the U.S. women’s 4x100-meter medley relay team at the 2024 Paris Olympics emerged in Chinese-language social media posts alongside a claim that they provide evidence of doping before the competition. The posts point to the athletes’ unusually flushed faces in the images as supposed proof of their claim.
But the claim is false. An official at a doping regulator told AFCL that none of the swimmers in the photos had committed a potential doping violation. A dermatology expert said a flushed face after intense exercise is a normal response, resulting from increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles due to the widening of blood vessels during physical activity. Click here to read more