TOKYO (JAPAN) – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has had his eight-year ban for doping violations referred back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This comes after an appeal to a court in Switzerland.
The decision could potentially clear the way for Sun to compete at next year’s delayed Tokyo Olympics, depending on when the case is heard.
Sun was banned for eight years by CAS in February after it accepted an appeal from WADA against a decision by swimming body FINA to clear him of wrongdoing for his conduct during a 2018 test.
Sun appealed that decision and WADA said in a statement late on Wednesday they had been informed the Swiss Federal Tribunal had upheld a challenge against the Chair of the CAS Panel but had not made any comment on the substance of the case.
“WADA will take steps to present its case robustly again when the matter returns to the CAS Panel, which will be chaired by a different president,” the statement said.
The New York Times reported Sun’s lawyers had successfully argued to the Tribunal that the head of the CAS Panel had made public comments that expressed anti-Chinese sentiments.
Sun, the reigning world and Olympic champion in 200m freestyle, was banned after he and members of his entourage were found to have smashed vials containing blood samples taken at an out-of-competition test in September 2018.
Sun has questioned the credentials and identity of the testers and has constantly proclaimed his innocence.
