“We have no intention of making an apology”, Kitty Chiller, Australia’s chef de mission at the Olympics, said in Rio. His confrontation with Sun, who he called out as a drug cheat to his face, started a movement that has now seen swimmer after swimmer speak out about doping.
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The hulking Chinese, who has frequently courted controversy since shooting to fame in London, secretly served a three-month drugs suspension for testing positive for the banned stimulant trimetazidine in 2014. Horton called Yang a “drug cheat”, sparking outrage from a number of different entities in China.
“The next step for me and what I am thinking about at the moment is the 1,500m on day seven (Saturday)”, Horton said.
“We would urge athletes to respect their fellow competitors”, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Monday.
Michael O’Reilly of Ireland reacts after winning his men’s 75kg Middle weight boxing gold medal fight against Xaybula Musalov of Azerbaijanat the 1st European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 27, 2015. He has been accused of disruptive pool behaviour by swimmers – both men and women – from several countries. In 2014, he spent a week in jail for crashing his vehicle into a bus in China while driving without a licence.
He said it was medication to treat a heart issue and did not enhance performance. But despite Sun’s past, Chinese fans have continued to support Sun and went after Horton following his victory in the 400.
“I felt very sorry that I did not execute my responsibilities”, he said of the previous race.
Chinese swim team manager Xu Qi also laid into Horton, saying the Australian had “hurt the feelings between Chinese and Australian swimmers” and showed “a lack of good manners and upbringing”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Asked how he had coped over the past few days, when he had won Olympic gold then found himself as the catalyst for an athlete-led revolt against doping, he replied: “Pretty standard. They’re pretty much the best events of the Olympics”, Horton said. When prodded, he added that he was “no friend” of Horton’s.
On Monday, Xinhua released a slew of gently critical articles on topics ranging from Australian trade policy to Melbourne’s quality of life. That prompted Chinese media to label Horton as immoral and his nation as a former “offshore prison”.
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“This suggests that no one should be surprised at uncivilised acts emanating from the country”, it concluded.
