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Sun Yang
SportChina

Sun Yang snubbed for ‘obvious reasons’, says mainland media as he loses Zhejiang provincial award to fellow swimmer Xu Jiayu

  • Sun wins two gold medals at world championships but the 2019 Zhejiang province best men’s athlete title goes to Xu, who has one world gold
  • The most decorated Chinese swimmer is appealing to overturn an eight-year ban for a doping offence

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Sun Yang celebrates after winning the 200m freestyle at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Photos: AP
Chan Kin-wa
Disgraced swimmer Sun Yang lost the 2019 best athlete provincial title for Zhejiang to teammate Xu Jiayu, despite capturing more gold medals at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
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Sun, who claimed golds in the men’s 200m and 400m freestyle, was deemed inferior to Xu, the 100m backstroke world champion, with mainland media saying the decision was made because of “obvious reasons”.

In September 2018, the 28-year-old Sun was subjected to an out-of-competition doping test at his home in the Zhejiang capital of Hangzhou. It was reported that a security guard, on Sun’s orders, smashed a case containing the sample vials, accusing the testers of not being qualified to conduct the tests.

Swimming governing body Fina, after an inquiry, ruled that Sun had not committed any doping violations.

Gold medallist Sun Yang gestures to British bronze medallist Duncan Scott at the medal ceremony after the 200m freestyle final at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Gold medallist Sun Yang gestures to British bronze medallist Duncan Scott at the medal ceremony after the 200m freestyle final at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency then took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which banned Sun for eight years early this year after a lengthy hearing. Sun later appealed the ruling to the Swiss federal court.

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