Why Did Sun Yang, China’s Most Decorated Swimmer in History Receive a 4-Year Ban?

Sun Yang has often found himself in the same line of achievements as the USA swimming prima donna, Katie Ledecky. Both saw their best regime in the 1500m free and both had their records prolonged from the 200m free to 1500m acumen. However, on a few chances, Sun Yang shared the mineshafts of the performance chasing. 

In the latest turn of nemesis, Sun Yang’s most favored event underwent a bleak chance of witnessing his participation for the last time. This time, Sun couldn’t overcome the eruption of certain red ribbons. 

Sun Yang faces the eventual rejection of his Olympic dream 

Sun Yang’s quagmire started in 2014 after his best evenings in the 2012 London Olympics. In that year, the Chinese Swimming office bearers proscribed him for three months for taking banned stimulants. However, the most decorated Chinese swimmer came back strongly after that as he bagged 200m free in the 2016 Rio Olympics. But the dis-glorification followed him in 2018 when Sun Yang deliberately withered WADA rulings and went with his instinct against the officials. As the NPR reported, when WADA officials ventured into Sun’s urine collection for the dope test, his mother obstructed the process offensively. Consequently, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handed him the banning rule. 

However, the 3x Olympic topper’s agony only increased after appealing against the WADA’s decision in the International Court of Arbitration for Sports. In 2020, the jury in the court convicted him for not abiding by the doping rules despite FINA’s ruling in Sun’s favor. Initially, the CAS body handed him an 8-year ban. But in 2021, it was reduced to a 4-year ban. But that was enough to put a coup de grce on Sun Yang’s Olympic dream. 

The hope was still there 

The ban in 2021 eventually garlanded Sun Yang with a crown of multiple thorns. Missing the berth in the Hangzhou Asian Games and the pressure of being over-age for a competitive sport like swimming were a few of those. But the Chinese swimming premium didn’t batter his chances to return to the Paris Olympics. That only reason that kept him swinging in the pools and out of retirement, as the ban period will be over in mid-2024. But the latest criteria for making it into the Olympics Chinese swimming team thrashed Sun’s hope. 

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As per the regulation, the selection would be based on the performances in the Fukuoka World Championship, Doha World Championship and the trial meet in national color. Eventually, for the ban, Sun Yang was and would be missing in each of these meets. However, his 2012 Olympics timing in 1500m free remains as the world record. 

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