Lausanne (AFP)
Chinese swimmer Sun Yang's hearing, scheduled to be heard in September by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over last year's incredible anti-doping test, has been postponed until October, the TAS reported on Tuesday. that she would be public.
An explosive report from the International Swimming Federation's (Fina) Anti-Doping Committee in January confirmed that the three-time Olympic champion had destroyed his own blood sample with a hammer during an unannounced test last September.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the CAS after the Fina shut out Sun Yang's formality, allowing the 27-year-old swimmer to attend the recent Gwangju World Cup in South Korea. where several swimmers have expressed their dissatisfaction with his presence.
The Australian Mack Horton had ostensibly shown his distrust of Sun, crowned world champion in the 400m for the fourth time in a row, by not getting on the podium to receive his silver medal, then standing aside on the souvenir photos.
The CAS "tried to organize a hearing for September but due to unforeseen personal circumstances, one of the parties had to request a postponement of the hearing," the Lausanne-based court said in a statement.
"A new court date will be fixed as soon as possible but the hearing is unlikely to be held before the end of October," added the CAS.
Moreover, in exceptional cases, this audience, which should be held in Switzerland, but not necessarily in Lausanne, will be public, and open notably to the media. This is only the second time in the history of this sports court created in 1984 that a hearing will be open to the public.
The procedure could potentially lead to the suspension for life of the champion, suspended three months for doping in 2014. Athletes convicted of doping incur, indeed, such a penalty in case of recidivism.
© 2019 AFP