Adam Peaty suggested that certain members of the Chinese 4x100m medley relay team should be "out of the sport" and said "there's no point winning if you're not winning fair" after two triumphant competitors of the quartet reportedly returned positive doping tests before the Tokyo Olympics.

The Chinese swimming team have faced increased levels of doping testing in Paris after a joint investigation by the New York Times and German television channel ARD revealed that 23 Chinese athletes, including Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, had been allowed to compete at the previous Games despite testing positive for a banned substance.

The 23 were cleared to compete at those Games by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which allegedly accepted China's explanation of contamination as the swimmers claimed that they had unintentionally ingested the substance.

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But on the final night of swimming at the 2024 Games, Peaty brought up those failed tests and questioned whether the 23-strong contingent should have been allowed to compete again.

“One of my favourite quotes I’ve seen lately is that there’s no point winning if you’re not winning fair,” Peaty said. “I think you know that truth in your heart. If you touch and you know that you’re cheating, you’re not winning, right?

“For me, if you’ve been on that and you have been ‘contaminated’ twice, I think as an honourable person you should be out of the sport. I don’t want to paint a whole nation or group of people with one brush, I think that’s very unfair. But there have been two cases of it and it’s very disappointing.”

Peaty alongside Duncan Scott, Ollie Morgan and Matt Richards finished in fourth behind winners China, silver medallists Team USA and France in third. The Americans were defeated in the pool for the first time in the event's history, stretching back to 1960.

American star Caeleb Dressel had already been vocal on the matter of doping, admitting that he was unsure if all of his rivals were racing clean, with the British contingent previously silent until Peaty spoke out.

“I’ve tried to keep out of the conversation until now for the benefit of the team,” Peaty added. “But I think, to the people that need to do their job - wake up and do your job.

"I think we have to have faith in the system. But we also don’t. The Americans have been very vocal. We didn’t want to get distracted with that. But I think it’s got to be stricter. What I’ve said from the start is that it’s fraud. If you’re cheating, it’s fraud.”

Peaty's comments came after what could have been his final race for Team GB, admitting that he was "hurting too much" following the 29-year-old's latest defeat.

"I think tomorrow is never promised," Peaty told the BBC. "Why worry? I think if my heart wants it, my heart wants it and I will absolutely sign that contract with myself to do it. But that may be a long way away.

"But I think I am going to step away from the sport. Really because it just hurt too much this time. It really has."