Olympic Champion and world record holder Sun Yang may be facing a lifetime ban from competitive swimming after a run-in with anti-doping officials collecting samples, according to a report that appeared in The Sunday Times.
According to the report, the incident involved Sun and his bodyguard smashing a sealed vial of the swimmer’s blood with a hammer, destroying the testing sample. The Sunday Times notes that Sun almost missed an out-of-competition test on September 4, 2018, breaking several testing protocols and questioning the credentials of the drug testers. The incident allegedly did not resolve until 4 a.m.
Despite this, FINA reviewed the incident and in a January 3 hearing a panel ruled in Sun’s favor. However, according to The Sunday Times the World Anti-Doping Agency is considering filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the incident.
Sun himself has threatened legal action against The Sunday Times, according to a report that appeared on the Channel News Asia website. The swimmer claims that the officials had failed to produce proper documentation for the testing, resulting in Sun attempting to reject the testing. His statement makes no mention of destroying the sample with a hammer as reported in the Times article.
This is not the first controversy involving anti-doping officials that Sun has been involved in. Sun has previously served a 3-month ban for doping that took effect back in May of 2014. That ban was a result of a positive test for the substance Trimetazidine at the 2014 Chinese Nationals, and resulted in the stripping of his 1500 National Title. The ban, however, was not announced until after it had already been completed.
Dr. Ba Zhen, who has been Sun’s longtime doctor, was also banned for a year for his role in that incident, and The Sunday Times reports he was also involved in Sun’s more recent incident with anti-doping officials in September.
Sun has been known for erratic behavior that has grabbed headlines, including a short stint in jail in 2013 for driving without a license that resulted in a subsequent ban from the Chinese Swimming Federation. He also drew attention in 2015 when he assaulted another swimmer in the warm up pool at the 2015 World Championships prior to the start of the 1500 free. He subsequently withdrew from the finals of that event but claimed in a statement that the incident was unrelated, instead blaming his withdrawal on concerns over chest pain.
Swimming World will continue to update this story as it develops.
The Sunday Times and Channel News Asis contributed to this report.
Australia’s ?? Mack Horton was right all along, and he still faces bullying from Chinese nationals on his social media ?
Knew it a long time ago.
So you knew about Carl Lewis as well then?
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay
Tony MacGuinness Ussain Bolt was on my radar. It doesn’t surprise me about Carl Lewis.
Chinese Lochte? Taking the honesty out of the sport- take him out of it.
Cam Dole hardly the same are they !
more like Michelle Smith but at least she had a good back up plan. she is now a sucessful lawyer in her native ireland
Rachel Sherrington read the article, multiple incidences- not all drug related
Cam Dole yang punched a female swimmer who got into his lane during open warmups once and I believe left the meet shortly afterwards due to “unforeseen illness”
oh that is mentioned in this article I thought this was the sydney papers article I read earlier that didnt mention his questionable past
Stephen Paul not really sure what you’re arguing for here…
Cam Dole horrible comment!!! Not even close!!
Cam Dole Seriously? RL is no doper, cheater or violent sexist. There is absolutely not comparison.
RL has one doping violation under his name. He’s also a lier.
Totally agree with you Cam!
About time
Purple urine
FINA has ruled on Jan. 3, 2019 that Sun Yang did not violate the World Anti-Doping Code…
Tony MacGuinness Fina are gutless and scared of the Chinese
Typical
Jordan Wright
NOT a face a swimming. Keep him out.
????????????
James Kwan
Connor Jaeger deserves the gold from Rio in the 1500!
please, the 1500 gold medalist from Rio is Paltrinieri.
Paltrinieri won in Rio 2016…
Paltrinieri won at Rio games ?
maybe Ryan Cochran deserves the gold from London. Sun Yang didn’t even final in the 1500 in Rio
Idiot.
Ban the cheat
Been doping for a long time, erase his records, retrieve his medals and ban him for life
Terrence Moore Robinson Jr I am nit condoning his behavior, however,I hope you have that as fact seeing now that it’s in print: libel
Carole Machol-Atler ready testify when needed ?
Terrence Moore Robinson Jr
Like Carl Lewis…
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay
Tony MacGuinness if you kill innocent people but no one knows, is it still murder?
Cheating is cheating if all participating don’t do same…
anyone Lewis, Armstrong, Ben Johnson…
Terrence Moore Robinson Jr
But, it is also incumbent on those officials who allegedly were there to carry out the tests to actually have the correct paperwork and credentials available and on their person, to prove who they are.
This group of so called “officials” did not and could not provide ANY verifiable documentation.
He was well within his rights to refuse as confirmed by Fina.
Robert have you seen this. ??
Jo Banham yeah read t this morning. He needs to go along with the rest of the bloody cheats
Robert Nesbitt quite agree
Robert Nesbitt
He was cleared by Fina. Shame the so called testers did not have the correct paper work or credentials on them
Jo Banham
He was cleared by Fina. Shame the so called testers did not have the correct paper work or credentials on them
Nooooo
We all knew he was using didn’t we?
Nancy Pulham we?
Like Carl Lewis
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay
Gus Anderson
Smh
Gus Anderson legend
Joe Stott
Toni Llauradó Estrany positivo en thc
Ibrahem EL Tayeb
Hwa eh ely by7sal dah??
Youssef William bywas3olna l tare2
Ammar Hossam Yassin Tolba
Alak
Da atfashakh
Facing??? Should be long gone.
This happened over four months ago. FINA made a public statement vindicating the athlete twenty days ago. WADA still can but has not appealed yet.
And then sometimes it’s him smashing the vials, others say it was his bodyguard, and even his mother was mentioned somewhere.
Is this incident clear enough so as to produce such and incendiary article from it?
is he returning the medals he won?
Norwo Ezra John
Why Carl Lewis has not..
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay
sad to other olympians that work hard
Good riddance
It’s a pity about Sun. I love his stroke technique. Beautiful to watch.
?
Zsombor Pertich
Amy Killoran
NAUGHTY
Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…he’s a duck.
Rafael Ortega Alva
No, por favor, no
Jan Goodyear
About bloody time ??
Marwan Asker
Percy Escobar Coppa
Earl Jason Bilangdal imo idol o.. hahahahaha..
Thomas Dufour Mehdi Ayoubi Loïc St-martin Antoine Bernard Lalonde
Cheat! Ban him!
Act of a guilty person.
Sub yang is a joke , been a swimming douche for years
Holly Kelly-Byrne omg
Aly Louise KB good!
Holly Kelly-Byrne won’t be missed
Every swimmer that had been popped with doing should be banned for life. He’s a disgrace for our sp.ort
Is anyone surprised???
Austin Crump
Good
Cheaters gonna cheat….
Good always was a cheat, about time. ????
Has anyone considered that he is a victim of his political circumstance?
Kelly, no.
Kelly Howell like the Chinese government is tainting his samples?
Same thought . Politicial revenge most probaly from US
Kelly Howell .. No.. who cares.. he’s a drug cheat
Pamela Goldsbro
The so called test officials failed to present the correct paperwork and did not have the correct identification with them… Would you allow samples to be taken from you without these credentials?
Fina found in his favour and that he did not break any rules
Tony MacGuinness … thanks for the info. Personally I wouldn’t believe anything that comes out of China… I still have visions of their apparent
“Women’s “ team in Perth 1998.