Sun Yang: Swiss court confirms lifting of ban on Chinese star – decision based on ‘bias’ of CAS chair judge
- CAS chair, Italy’s former foreign minister Franco Frattini, had a history of posting social media comments criticising cruelty to animals in China
- Three-time Olympic champion Sun is now free to swim again until a second CAS hearing can be arranged
The Swiss Federal Tribunal on Thursday confirmed an earlier announcement by the World Anti-Doping Agency that Chinese swimmer Sun Yang’s eight-year ban has been overturned – while also validating reports that the decision was based on the “bias” of an Italian judge.
The triple Olympic champion won a huge victory seven months before the Tokyo Olympics with Switzerland’s top court overturning the ban handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – chaired by former Italy foreign minister Franco Frattini in February.
The 29-year-old – the first men’s Chinese swimmer to win Olympic gold – will now have a chance to state his case again at a second hearing by CAS, based in the Swiss city of Lausanne, before the Tokyo Games next year.
He is now free to compete until his case is heard again, meaning he could aim to defend his 200m title in the delayed Olympic Games.