Chinese swimmer Sun Yang returning to the pool after long doping ban

BEIJING – Chinese swimmer Sun Yang will return to the pool at a major domestic meet next week following the expiry of his four-year ban for doping, state media reported.

Sun, China’s first Olympic gold medallist in men’s swimming, will represent his home Zhejiang province at the National Summer Swimming Championships, which start on Aug 25 in Hefei.

Wang Wei, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Sports Management Centre, said that the 32-year-old will compete in the 400 metres freestyle, the event he won at the 2012 London Olympics, according to Xinhua news agency.

Following the news, the tag “Sun Yang’s Comeback Confirmed in Hefei” climbed to ninth place on social media platform Weibo’s trending list, garnering over 14 million views.

The three-gold former Olympic champion was

banned from competition for four years and three months

for a doping test violation in 2018, in which he and members of his entourage smashed vials containing blood samples.

The ban, reduced from eight years on appeal, expired on May 28. On the same day, his official swimming studio posted on Weibo, stating: “Transcend yourself, swimmers fear nothing.”

While suspended, Sun missed national trials for the Paris Olympics, where China’s swimming team were under intense scrutiny over the country’s doping record.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) confirmed reports in April that 23 of the nation’s swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication banned under the Wada code, in the lead-up to the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.

However, the global body accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the test results were due to accidental contamination from a hotel kitchen the team were staying at.

Sun had also served a three-month suspension in 2014 for taking trimetazidine, which he said was to treat a heart condition.

“He’s endured so much and still chose to continue – he truly loves the sport,” wrote one fan after the latest news.

“Finally, we’ll see you back on the field, Sun Yang,” another posted.

“It’s been a long time – enjoy the competition,” added another supporter of the swimmer.

The meet in Hefei is second only to China’s National Swimming Championships in terms of competitive level and prestige, added Xinhua.

Though Sun is cleared for competition, he may have little chance of swimming for China again.

Chinese athletes who receive doping suspensions longer than a year are banned from national teams, according to the country’s anti-doping rules.

China won 12 medals from the pool in Paris, including two golds.

Pan Zhanle claimed the men’s 100m freestyle title in a world record, while China won the men’s 4x100m medley relay gold, ending the United States’ unbeaten record in the event.

Xinhua said Pan and provincial teammate Wang Shun, the former Olympic champion who took bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley in the French capital, were not included in Zhejiang’s team for the Hefei meet. REUTERS