Sun Yang responds to CAS ban – ‘I won’t give up,’ says China swim star ruled out of Tokyo Olympics
- Triple Olympic champion says he ‘will definitely add oil’ and that he is in good condition
- Comments are first the 29-year-old has made on the issue since original verdict last February
In a WeChat conversation with a journalist from The Paper, a Shanghai-based digital newspaper, Sun said “I’ll definitely jiayou [add oil] and won’t give up”, their website reported.
To “add oil” – as with the Cantonese term gayau – has become an all-purpose cheer in China, especially in the sporting world.
The 29-year-old triple Olympic champion, who will no longer defend his Rio 2016 crown at the delayed Tokyo Games this summer, added that “I’m actually in a very good condition” but it was unclear if this means mentally or physically.
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Sun added a clenched fist emoji in his WeChat reply to The Paper’s Qi Dong in his first comments on the matter since a Weibo post on the original hearing verdict in February, 2020.
The story has been picked up by other mainland media as Sun has remained largely silent on the ongoing case against him and world swimming body Fina by the World Anti Doping Agency.
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On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced their verdict after the second hearing of Sun’s case, banning him until May 2024.
The ban is backdated to February 28, 2020, the date of the original decision, which was overturned on appeal last December.
Speculation on Sun’s future in the pool is the subject of much debate on Chinese social media.
