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SCMP Editorial

Swimmer Sun Yang is China’s most highly recognised sports superstar since American NBA basketball player Yao Ming and women’s grand slam tennis champion Li Na.
The triple Olympic champion is also one of the most popular with compatriots. His army of social media fans is testament to that. Sadly what also sets him apart is international out-of-competition controversy that casts a cloud over his achievements in the pool and his standing abroad.
It has climaxed with the Court of Arbitration in Sport banning Sun for eight years for violation of dope-testing rules. The court upheld an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency, after Sun had been exonerated by swimming’s world governing body, Fina.
Sun did not actually fail a scheduled test in 2018, because his entourage smashed vials containing his blood after he disputed the accreditation of the test officials and he refused to provide samples.


The court ruled that Sun had failed to establish a compelling justification for his actions, and also took into account a recent three-month suspension for taking a banned in-competition stimulant for what he said was a heart condition.
It is not over yet, since Sun has vowed to appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. He maintains his innocence and we wish him well.
Reaction in China to his banning is mixed, from sympathy out of a sense of unfairness to a lack of it because of disapproval of the way he handled his situation. Sun has the looks and stature to go with his talent, and has shown a forceful character and sense of patriotism in the face of drug-cheat taunts from Australian arch-rival Mack Horton.
Sun Yang lawyer blasts ‘lies’ after eight-year drug ban
Yet some see him as self-assured to the point of arrogance and uncooperative with drug testing. This contrasts with images of Yao and Li, whose sense of humour amid adversity was a trademark of the former’s popularity with American teammates and the latter’s support from tennis fans everywhere.
More Chinese athletes can be expected to reach the peak of recognition overseas. They in turn will be expected to comply with international rules and norms.
If this seems on occasion to test their sense of fair play and a level playing field, it is the forbearance with which they handle such pressure that will ultimately determine whether they become role models for younger sports people.


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Sun Yang

Sun Yang must learn that image matters

China's Sun Yang did not actually fail a scheduled test in 2018, because his entourage smashed vials containing his blood after he disputed the accreditation of the test officials and he refused to provide samples. Photo: AP

Olympic swimmer Sun Yang banned for eight years after CAS finds star guilty of doping offences

China’s Sun Yang has been banned for eight years. Photo: AFP

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 15, 2019 China's swimming star Sun Yang, accused of smashing a blood vial with a hammer, is seen on a TV screen during a public hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Montreux. - Chinese Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang will learn on February 28, 2020 whether he faces a possible eight-year ban for missing a drug test, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said. (Photo by jean-guy PYTHON / AFP)

Sun Yang lawyer blasts ‘lies’ after eight-year drug ban

Sun Yang wears headphones prior to the final of the men's 200m freestyle event at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju. Photo: AFP

FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 file photo, China's Sun Yang holds his national flag after winning the gold medal in the men's 1500-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has been banned for eight years for breaking anti-doping rules and will miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

China's three-time Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Sun was banned for eight years in a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday for breaking anti-doping rules. Photo: Bernd Thissen/dpa

epa08254845 (FILE) - Chinese swimming star Sun Yang (2-L), reacts, as he arrives for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, (CAS) public hearing, in Montreux, Switzerland, 15 November 2019 (issued 28 February 2020). China's multiple Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang, 28, has been banned from competing for eight years for breaking anti-doping rules, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on 28 February 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA-EFE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT *** Local Caption *** 55634140

Sun Yang will ‘definitely’ appeal eight-year CAS ban as social media rages

Sun Yang winning the men’s 400m freestyle final at the 2019 Fina World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion

Comment


Superstar swimmer may be innocent of taking drugs but he does himself no favours with his often abrasive attitude



Superstar swimmer may be innocent of taking drugs but he does himself no favours with his often abrasive attitude.
