(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-01 16:11

MUNICH, Germany -- President of the world rowing governing body Denis Oswald downplayed doping doubts over China, which emerged amid the aftermath of the shocking Russia doping case at the Munich World Championships.

China's quadruple scullers Guixin Feng, Ziwei Jin, Aihua Xi and Bin Tang, from left, pull away from the start to win this heat of the World Rowing Championships in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, Aug. 27, 2007. [AP]

Michael Muller, a German team sport director, was quoted by Suddeutsche Zeitung (Southern Germany Newspaper) on Thursday, commenting on the Russia doping case.

But he also asked FISA to guarantee the same number of tests conducted on the Chinese side, who made surprising progress in the past two years.

"The Chinese have been tested like any other team. They had many out-of-competition test on many occasions and they were tested in competition as well," Oswald told Xinhua, when asked to comment on the report.

"Therefore, we have no reason to do more tests," he said.

China earned no medals in Athens Olympic Games but they surged to pocket three golds at last year's world championships.

In this year's two world cup events, they clinched seven titles including an awesome five in Amsterdam.

"People are sometimes surprised by the progress made by the Chinese team. But the team is not just coming up now," said Oswald.

"They should review the results in the past ten years and the team was always not far from the top. And now they come to the top."

"They have taken a number of measures like hiring very good western coaches, and they have a reservoir with a large population. So that's probably a good reason."

Chinese now have two foreign coaches: ex-US head coach Igor Grinko at men's helm and an Italian expert training with women's single sculls rower Zhang Xiuyun.

"I don't like people (reacting) like this immediately when a good result comes out, no." Oswald added.

Three Russian athletes who were found to have used prohibited injections were ousted from the Munich tournament and the entire Russian rowing federation could face a ban of up to four years and miss the Beijing Olympics.

The Russian federation had been involved in a doping case in 2006 and a rule called for stiff sanctions for four or more doping offenses within a 12-month period.

Oswald said on Thursday's press conference that it was the most challenging case he has ever met considering the number of rowers involved and the possibility of a systemic doping.