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Lars Hamer

Once heralded for being China’s first men’s swimmer to win Olympic gold, Sun Yang’s fall from grace continued on Thursday as he was slammed by fans for the actions that saw him banned from the sport for four years.
Sun was suspended for eight years in 2020 for a doping violation following an incident with drug testing officers at his home in China, during which Sun’s entourage smashed vials containing his blood. His ban was reduced to four years on appeal.
It had been hinted that Sun – the first man in history to win Olympic or World Championship gold at every freestyle distance from 200 to 1,500 metres – could return for this year’s Paris Olympics after his suspension, which ended last month.
But Sun, now 32, missed the Olympic trials and was not named when China announced its swimming roster on Tuesday.
That, however, did not stop the hashtag “Sun Yang’s Olympic dream shattered” becoming one of the hottest on Weibo, with more than 75 million views as of Thursday.

Some pointed out there was no dream to shatter, after China ruled out selecting for Paris any swimmer who had served a doping-related ban longer than a year, but many took the opportunity to throw jabs at Sun.
“It would have been impossible [for him to compete],” one said. “Only Sun Yang himself said that he is still insisting on swimming, but neither the national team nor the provincial team would have accepted him.”
Others were more blunt. “He did it himself,” a widely liked comment read.
“He’s a bad character,” another wrote. “Achievements are important, but the arrogance and pomposity of a sports icon are not necessary.”
A reply to that comment referenced the time Sun was banned from the national team for driving without a licence and being jailed for seven days.
However, not all the comments took aim at Sun. A Weibo account affiliated with Sun sent out a post after the swimmer started trending that was viewed more than 15 million times.
“Persistence and love are Sun Yang’s unchanged pursuits, and we’ll see you in the stadium in the future,” the post read.
“How many four years does an athlete have, dammit, let alone eight?” one person asked.
The 2020 ban was not the first time Sun had been in trouble over a doping-related issue. In 2014, the Chinese Swimming Association handed Sun a three-month ban after he tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a drug that was banned four months prior and classified as a stimulant by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
TMZ, a prescription heart drug, was at the centre of this year’s allegations about 23 Chinese swimmers dating back to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
In April, it was reported that seven months before the Games, the 23 had tested positive for TMZ yet were cleared of wrongdoing by the Chinese authorities, with some going on to win gold in Tokyo and the women’s 4x200m relay team breaking the world record.
On Tuesday, 11 of the 23 were included in China’s swimming squad for Paris.


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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Chinese social media slams swimmer Sun Yang as he misses Paris Olympics – ‘bad character’

Sun Yang was banned for eight years, later reduced to four, for a doping-related offence. Photo: dpa

Sun Yang was ruled ineligible for selection for the Paris Olympics after his ban. Photo: AFP

Paris Olympics: China include 11 of 23 swimmers who tested positive for TMZ in roster

China’s Pan Zhanle, the 100m freestyle world record holder, is looking for gold in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

Tang Qianting, centre, won gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke at the World Aquatic Championships. Photo: EPA

Reports of Chinese swimmers testing positive for banned substance before Tokyo Olympics in 2021 ‘fake news’, Beijing says

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Wenbin has rejected the accusations against Chinese swimmers at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: DPA

Australian coach Denis Cotterell, here with Sun Yang at London 2012, also rejects reports of doping. Photo: AFP

Disgraced Chinese swimmer Sun Yang eyes competitive return ‘as soon as possible’ as 4-year drugs ban ends

Sun Yang poses with his gold medal after winning the men’s 400m freestyle at the 2019 World Championships. Photo: AFP

Sun Yang says he trained every day during his ban. Photo: AFP

Sport

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Paris Olympics 2024

The Buzz

Weibo hashtag ‘Sun Yang’s Olympic dream shattered’ passes 75 million views after the swimmer completes his ban for a doping violation


Weibo hashtag ‘Sun Yang’s Olympic dream shattered’ passes 75 million views after the swimmer completes his ban for a doping violation.
