Banned From Tokyo Games, China’s Sun Yang Targeting 2024 Olympics in Paris

Photo Courtesy: David E. Klutho-USA TODAY Sports

Banned From Tokyo Games, China’s Sun Yang Targeting 2024 Olympics in Paris

There will be no Olympic-medal chases for Chinese star Sun Yang at next month’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, due to the Court of Arbitration for Sport handing down a four-year doping ban against the freestyler earlier this week. But the 29-year-old has indicated that he plans to continue training and race at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Earlier this week, in Sun’s appeal case, the CAS instituted a ban of four years based on Sun’s 2018 actions during an out-of-competition doping test. The decision confirmed the Chinese swimmer will not be in Tokyo and will not have the chance to defend his Olympic title in the 200-meter freestyle. However, with the ban backdated, Sun will become eligible to compete at the Paris Games. He will be 32 years when the Olympics move to the French capital.

Sun indicated that he feels “in great physical condition” and will use the CAS ruling against him as motivation for the next Olympiad. Sun was initially banned for eight years, but he appealed that ruling and was allowed a retrial when one of the three original judges was found to be bias based on social-media posts he previously made against China.

The CAS decision to ban Sun from action in Tokyo was met with applause from several of the biggest names in the sport, particularly world-record breaststroker Adam Peaty. One of the leading proponents for clean sport, Peaty continued to call for the harshest of bans.

“Good news for the integrity of the Games and sport but should be a lifetime ban,” he wrote on social media. “Multiple offences and that’s without taking a hammer out on the blood sample.”

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