MONTREUX (Switzerland) • Whatever the results of the public hearing over his alleged anti-doping rule violation, Sun Yang said his case will encourage athletes everywhere to defend their honour and legal rights when unfairly treated in the future.

The Chinese swimming star and three-gold Olympic champion appeared before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to clear his name after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) appealed against Fina's previous decision in favour of him on his alleged violations.

"An athlete with a smooth career may have a good one, but it's the quality of being able to pull oneself together and stay level-headed even after being treated unfairly that defines a great athlete," the 27-year-old told Xinhua in an exclusive interview after Friday's hearing."This case is destined to take a place in history (of anti-doping), and in my heart for the rest of my life," he said.

The hearing, held in a lakeside annexe of a luxury Swiss hotel, was only the second of its kind to be open to the public since the court was established 35 years ago. The first, in 1999, also involving Fina, had found Irish swimmer Michelle Smith de Bruin guilty of doping.

After nearly 11 hours of courtroom debate which was marred by translation issues, Sun revealed his relief from more than a year's anxiety and pressure that greeted him, his family and even the rest of the Chinese swim team.

He noted: "Individual athletes are always the underdogs when defending their legal rights in the face of unfair treatment by sports organisations. That is why I insisted that the hearing be public. I only regret that it was not held much earlier, as I have been waiting too long."

Sun's case, which could lead to a suspension of between two and eight years with a decision expected early next year, is being closely followed by his rivals, many of whom sparred verbally with Sun at July's world championships in South Korea, where he won twice.

Some of them did little to hide their contempt for Sun at that meet - one refused to stand on the medal podium with him, and another refused to shake his hand after losing to him - and a few argued that he should not have been allowed to participate while he was facing an open doping case.

Sun was previously suspended, in 2014, by the Chinese swimming authorities after he had tested positive for a banned prescription drug. At the time, the authorities did not disclose the ban to Wada.

The decision on Sun's future will turn on a fractious three-hour visit by anti-doping officials to his home last November that ended when his mother, Yang Ming, told a security guard to use a hammer to smash a container holding Sun's blood.

Sun's entourage accused the officials of not having the correct paperwork to carry out their tasks and leave with his sample. He refused to provide a urine sample.

The 2m Sun shot to prominence after claiming the 400m and 1,500m freestyle titles at the 2012 London Olympics and added the 200m free gold four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

While his participation at next year's Tokyo Games is in doubt, Sun said he was determined to continue training and preparing for his coming races, and he paid tribute to his supporters.

"I'm not worried about the final decisions of arbitration. I'm confident that, after today, all anti-doping test agencies will stick to the rules closely, which, in turn, will give much better protection of the legal rights and privacy to all athletes," he noted.

XINHUA, NYTIMES