'No cover-up' over Sun Yang ban
Chinese doping authorities insist there is nothing untoward about their decision not to publicise star athlete's positive test until now
China's anti-doping authorities were forced to defend themselves on Monday after it was revealed Olympic and world champion swimmer Sun Yang served a three-month ban earlier this year after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
Sun tested positive for trimetazidine in a test conducted on May 17 during China's national swimming championships in Hangzhou.
The suspension began immediately and ended on August 17, before Sun's appearance in September at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where he won three gold medals.
I was shocked and depressed at that time, but at the same time it made me cherish my sporting life even more. I will take it as a lesson and be more careful in future
The director of the China Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada), Zhao Jian, insisted there was nothing untoward about the fact the ban was kept quiet until now.
He said Sun's status as a world-famous athlete required authorities to handle his case with greater caution to ensure no mistakes were made.
"This is huge bad news but we will not cover it up," Zhao said. "We usually report the violations quarterly or bi-quarterly and we have to wait until the handling of a particular case has been finished."
The need to handle almost 10,000 tests over a six-month period also slowed the process, Zhao said. "That's why we did not release the reports for the second and third quarters until now."
Zhao said Sun waived his right to have his "B" sample tested, but defended himself at a July hearing by saying it was an ingredient in medication he was taking to treat a heart condition and he wasn't aware it was banned. Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, an athlete can be permitted a therapeutic exemption if he or she declares to authorities the use of a banned substance for medical reasons.
