Applaud all athletes to spread sports spirit

Australian swimmer Mack Horton has made a big splash at the 2016 Olympic Games, not because of the gold medal he won in the men's 400-meter freestyle, but because of his comment against rival Sun Yang of China. Horton called Sun a "drug cheat" during an interview with the media.

Sun won the gold in the 400-meter freestyle and 1,500-meter freestyle at the London 2012 Olympics. Two years later, however, Sun was suspended from competitive swimming for three months by the China Anti-Doping Agency for taking a medicine containing a banned substance to treat his heart condition. Returning from the ban, Sun won three golds at the 2014 Asian Games in the Republic of Korea.

After Horton's interview, Chinese netizens rushed to his SNS account to protest against his groundless accusation. Chinese swimming team manager Xu Qi said Horton's accusation is a "malicious personal attack", and China's Olympic swimming team demanded an apology from the Australian swimmer.