A Chinese swimmer, a Polish weightlifter and a Bulgarian steeplechaser were expelled or suspended Friday from the Olympics for doping, the first athletes sanctioned after failing drug tests at the games.
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The Chinese Swimming Association confirmed in the early hours of Friday morning that 18-year-old Chen tested positive on August 7 for hydrochlorothiazide, a substance that promotes the production of urine, thereby making detection of other banned substances more hard. Xinhua, China’s official state news agency, reported the story Friday.
Xinyi Chen of China competes in heat four of the Women’s 100m Butterfly.
Chen has applied to the International Olympic Committee to have her B sample tested and to get a hearing on the matter, Xinhua said, citing the swimming association, which promised in a statement to “take this matter seriously”.
Reports indicate that the failed test was taken prior to Chen’s arrival in Rio and she competed in the butterfly without being aware she had returned an alleged positive result.
The 18-year-old, seen as one of the rising stars of the sport, tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a masking agent, in a blood test administered before the Games.
“The CSA resolutely opposes the use of banned substances”.
The association vows to cooperate with the Court of Arbitration of Sport during the investigation and will respect the final ruling.
Swimming Australia’s website came under attack from hackers earlier in the event following a doping controversy in which Australian swimmer Mack Horton repeated referred to Chinese rival Sun Yang as a “drug cheat”.
Chen tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, which is listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a “specified substance”. Manuel is the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold.
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Chen rose to fame at the National Games in 2013. One of those swimmers is Yulia Efimova – target of USA swimmer Lilly King’s infamous finger-wag.
