China swimming chief decries 'harmful' attempts to besmirch Sun

GWANGJU, South Korea - As Chinese Olympic champion Sun Yang finds himself surrounded by controversy due to the actions of his fellow swimmers during the 18th FINA World Swimming Championships, head of the China Swimming Association Zhou Jihong said here on Wednesday that "no one has the right to judge someone by rumors."

Sun claimed gold medals in the 400m and 200m freestyle, becoming the number two swimmer after American super star Michael Phelps on the individual World Championships medal table with 11 gold medals to his name. But Sun has seen these victories marred by the actions of his fellow swimmers on the podium.

FINA in January absolved Sun on all wrongdoing, ruling "that the sample collection session initiated by IDDM on September 4, 2018, is invalid and void. Mr. Sun Yang did not commit an anti-doping rule violation under FINA DC 2.3 or FINA DC 2.5."

WADA appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a hearing set to be held in September.

"It is unbelievable and unacceptable that some people publicly defiled the innocence of an elite athlete based on speculation and hearsay. It shows prejudice and irrationality. It is of great harm to the sport and the athlete," Zhou said.