Tokyo 2020: ‘Sun Yang could win CAS appeal and fail 3km test,’ jokes diver Li Shixin
- China’s greatest swimmer still waiting on ruling after appealing eight-year ban by Court of Arbitration for Sport for doping test violation
- Naturalised Australian Li Shixin responds to furore over swimmers missing out at nationals for failing physical tests
Former China diving star Li Shixin has made light of the physical testing controversy at the Chinese National Swimming Championships by suggesting superstar Sun Yang would fall foul of the new policy and miss out on a place at Tokyo 2020.
Chinese social media has been up in arms over the fact that a General Administration for Sport (GAS) edict implemented by the Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) has seen swimmers set Asian and national records in qualifiers at the Qingdao meet but miss out on the finals.
These have included star swimmers Wang Jianjiahe, Yu Hexin and Fu Yuanhui.
Now Li has joked on his Weibo account that China’s greatest swimmer would also fall foul of the fitness tests, should he win his appeal over a doping test violation that resulted in an eight-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February.
China swim stars fall foul of physical tests at Nationals
Sun is appealing the verdict at the Swiss Federal Tribunal, although there has been no verdict in either of his two appeals as yet.
“It is estimated that Sun Yang can be confident to win the lawsuit and will fall under the standard of 3 kilometres,” Li wrote along with a crying emoji on his Weibo.
The post quoted an interview with CSA head Zhou Jihong where she declared that everyone was equal before the rules and that they were here to stay at swimming events.
Qualification for Tokyo 2020 is said to be based on the athletes meeting the Olympic qualification target and also the physical tests imposed by the national associations.
That would mean that were Sun to win an appeal, the 2-metre (6’6”) tall swimmer would be expected to excel at a 3km run, among other physical tests.
Can Sun Yang ever make it back to the pool?
“The swimmers took part in vertical jumps, 30-metre sprints, pull-ups, trunk muscle strength training, and 3,000-metre runs in the two-day physical tests,” Xinhua reported ahead of the nationals.
Physical tests were introduced for elite athletes by the GAS in February and they have been decried by athletes, media and fans.
Li swapped China for Australia in 2019 after missing out on the Olympics with his homeland. The 2011 and 2013 1m world champion sealed his place at Tokyo 2020’s 3m event last December at the Oceania qualifiers.
