Chinese Swimmer Sun Yang Banned Again, Ban Reduced but Will Miss Tokyo Olympics

Chinese swimmer star Sun Yang was banned for more than four years on Tuesday for breaking anti-doping rules, after a retrial at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The court’s verdict ends Sun’s hopes of defending his Olympic title in the 200 meters freestyle in Tokyo next month. The ban is backdated to February 2020, meaning Sun could return for the 2024 Paris Olympics when he would be 32.

The judges found Sun “to have acted recklessly” when he refused to let anti-doping officials leave his home with a sample of his blood, the court said.

Sun denied wrongdoing and his original eight-year ban imposed last year was overturned on appeal to Switzerland’s supreme court which ordered a fresh prosecution.

Read The News & Observer and the CAS decision in the matter WADA v. Sun Yang and FINA