Polish weightlifter Tomasz Zielinski has been ruled out of the Rio Olympics for testing positive for banned substances with Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi provisionally suspended, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.
Advertisement
Chen, the 2014 Asian Games champion in the 100m fly and 50m freestyle, had been slated to appear in the last of 12 heats of the 50m free on Friday, but did not line up.
Chen, 18, tested positive for diuretic hydrochlorothiazide after missing out on a bronze medal by just nine hundredths of a second in the final on Saturday (August 6).
Diuretics can be used to mask other banned substances. Later, Bulgarian television reported that Danekova had tested positive for EPO, although the 33-year-old quickly denied wrongdoing. Horton called Sun a “drug cheat” after beating him in the 400 freestyle.
Australia changed its rules of engagement with foreigners as a result of Sun’s case: no swimmer who ever tested positive may train at a funded centre in the country and all who do visit to train must agree to submit to national anti-doping agency testing on demand at their own cost.
Media reports named the official as sprint coach John Anzrah, saying he had attempted to impersonate athlete Ferguson Rotich during a doping test and gave a urine sample on his behalf.
The United States strengthened its lead in the Olympic medals table finishing Thursday with 16 golds, five ahead of China.
“[Results] of the three of the samples were negative – it’s an incredibly big shock”.
Advertisement
Controversies over doping overshadowed the build-up to Rio and, far from dying down as events got under way, have flared anew as USA and Australian competitors have branded their Russian and Chinese rivals drug cheats. Ethiopia’s 10,000m star Tirunesh Dibaba, 31, will become the first woman to win three consecutive golds in an individual athletics event if she retains the crown won in London four years ago. Australian Marcus Fraser was the early pace-setter with a 63 in the first Olympics round since the 1904 Games in St. Louis. Rugby also made its return and Fiji’s sevens team hammered Britain 43-7.
