U.S., Chinese athletes battle it out at Olympics

Mr. Leonard, meanwhile, has stuck to his insinuations, telling Yahoo Sports: “If people don’t speak out when they see something suspicious, the public is going to think nonsensical splits were real. Then doping is going to have free reign for anything we don’t know about right now. It’s an anomaly. Regardless of where it comes from — take China’s history completely out of it — an anomaly needs to be pointed out. And it’s the only anomaly of the week.”

It is not unusual for rivals to accuse one another, without evidence, of cheating, but it is rare that they happen on nationalistic lines.

There is no evidence that Ye has cheated. But China’s swim teams have failed drug tests in the past. Eleven swimmers failed steroid tests at the 1994 Asian Games. In addition, human growth hormone was found in one Chinese swimmer’s locker, and four Chinese athletes tested positive at the 1998 World Championships. Since 1990, 40 Chinese swimmers have failed drug tests.

Despite the U.S.-Chinese bitterness, fans of the Games in London seemed largely oblivious of the rivalry, and many are taking pride in the impact of Britain’s Olympic showcase.

“I thought the opening ceremony was fantastic. I’m usually quite skepticalof opening ceremonies, but this one was spectacular,” said Patrick McDaid, an assistant manager at a shop in South London. “It was quirky enough for us Brits, and it really got people talking. Everyone seems to be in good spirits.”

• Special correspondent Pete Carvill reported from Berlin, special correspondent Violet Law reported from Hong Kong, and Ben Wolfgang reported from Washington. Special correspondent Mark Briggs in London contributed to this report.