Tokyo 2020: Sun Yang CAS hearing to be held in private
- China’s star swimmer faces new hearing over doping test, career hangs in balance as trial set to begin on May 25
- ‘The CAS will announce the final decision once it is ready,’ says letter published by Chinese media
Citing a letter from the CAS press office, Sun’s hearing will be held in private via video link rather than a public hearing, which Sun requested for his original hearing in November 2019, as neither side asked for it to “be opened up to the public”.
“Accordingly, it will be conducted in private between the parties, exclusively by video conference, and the panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport will not broadcast a live-stream or grant access.
“Furthermore, the CAS will not give any interviews in relation to the matter.”
The new hearing – which comes after Sun’s original eight-year ban was overturned on appeal over concerns over the impartiality of panel president Franco Frattini – will begin on Tuesday, May 25.
Sun Yang right to feel unfairly treated, anti-doping expert says
“The CAS will announce the final decision once it is ready,” the letter stated.
Sun’s swimming career hangs in the balance on the new hearing, which will feature a new panel of judges to hear the case between Wada on one side against Sun and world swimming body Fina on the other. Sun is alleged to have damaged blood vials.
The case rests on an out of competition test at Sun’s home in Zhejiang that took place in September 2018.
New Sun Yang hearing set for May 24-28: sports court
Sun won two gold medals at the Fina World Championships in South Korea in 2019 in the 200m and 400m freestyle as he awaited the first hearing before an eight-year ban appeared to leave his swimming career dead in the water.
That original hearing was blighted with controversy from the outset as translation issues held it up.
Sun Yang not at China Nationals but could still swim at Tokyo 2020
Sun is the defending Olympic champion in the 200m freestyle, having won gold at the Rio 2016 Games.
