W***n
发帖数: 11530 | 1 31 July 2012 Last updated at 13:56 ET
China swimmer Ye Shiwen clean, says BOA boss Moynihan
Lord Moynihan: "It's regrettable that there is so much speculation out there
in the press"
Continue reading the main story Related StoriesLondon Olympics: Day Four
Live [/sport/0/olympics/19040297] Profile: Ye Shiwen [/news/world-asia-china
-19060155] Why teenagers improve fast [/news/health-19061026]
Teenage Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen is not a drug cheat, the British Olympic
Association's chairman has said, after a US coach cast doubt on her world
record-breaking swim.
Lord Colin Moynihan said Ye, 16, had passed drug tests, was "clean" and
deserved recognition for her talent.
Ye smashed her personal best by at least five seconds in the 400m Medley.
Senior US coach John Leonard said her performance was disturbing and hinted
that doping could have been involved.
Mr Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association,
said the performance reminded him of the East German women swimmers in the
1980s, who were doping on a systematic basis.
"History in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I
will put quotation marks around this, unbelievable, history shows us that it
turns out later on there was doping involved," he told the UK's Guardian
newspaper.
Continue reading the main story Olympics coverage online From the BBC:London
2012: All Olympics newsSport: Reports, reaction, newsWeather: UK five-day
forecast Official Olympic travel links:Traffic and travel in LondonTravel
info for other Games locationsTraffic updates via Twitter @GAOTG
But Ye, who will compete later in the 200m Medley final, has strongly
defended herself and denied that she would ever use banned substances.
China's anti-doping chief has said Chinese athletes have undergone nearly
100 drugs tests since arriving in London, and that not a single Chinese
athlete had tested positive.
Former swimmers, other Olympic champions and experts have all given their
support to Ye.
Lord Moynihan told a news conference that the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada
) was "on top of the game".
"She's been through Wada's programme and she's clean. That's the end of the
story. Ye Shiwen deserves recognition for her talent," he said.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials also insisted that if there
were any drugs cheats, they would be caught.
Dick Pound, an IOC member and former president of Wada, told the BBC that Ye
's performance was "surprising".
Continue reading the main story “Start QuoteThe big question is over the
way Ye swam in the last 50m, that's what we're all finding a little bit
difficult to take in. But Becky Adlington's last 50m of the 800m was also
quicker than Lochte's, so we have to be careful that we don't jump to
ridiculous conclusions ”
End Quote Sharron Davies 1980 400m IM silver medallist Teen sensations - how
do they do it?China's long road to swimming glory
"Nobody's ever seen somebody swim that fast before. You expect that to be an
occurrence at an Olympic Games," he said.
"The problem is - with all the suspicions about drug use throughout sport -
when something is really, really spectacular, the first thing you do after
you see that performance is say, 'hmm, I wonder'."
Mr Pound added: "It's a fact of life that people say, 'wasn't that
magnificent, was it too magnificent?'"
Earlier scandals
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has distanced itself from Mr Leonard's
comments - its spokesman, Patrick Sandusky, told the BBC the Americans were
trying to smooth things over with the Chinese.
A member of USOC's international relations team is expected to make contact
with the Chinese Olympic Committee later on Tuesday, says the BBC's David
Bond.
"We are reaching out to the Chinese and their Olympic committee to ensure
they know that this gentleman [Mr Leonard] is not part of our delegation,
USA Swimming or the US Olympic Committee," the USOC member said.
"His comments are an independent view and not from us."
Earlier, former British Olympic champion Adrian Moorhouse said the rumours
appeared to be a case of sour grapes.
"The Chinese might have just found this really talented kid, who can work
really hard, has the perfect shape and can cope with all the pressure thrown
at her," he told the BBC.
Continue reading the main story Who is Ye Shiwen? Born in 1996 in eastern
city of HangzhouStarted swimming in 2003, reportedly after her teacher
noticed she had large handsJoined the national team in 2008Won the 200m and
400m individual medley at the 2010 Asian GamesWhy teen athletes can make big
improvementsProfile: Ye ShiwenNetizens leap to Ye's defence
Suspicions over Ye's performance were heightened when it was pointed out
that in the final 50m of her race she swam faster than the winner of the men
's race, Ryan Lochte.
However, her world-record time was still 23 seconds slower than Lochte's
winning time, and several of Lochte's competitors were faster than her over
the final 50m.
Chinese officials also pointed out that Lochte was easing to the finish,
comfortably in the lead, whereas Ye had to battle to the end to take first
place.
China's swimming team was repeatedly hit by doping scandals in the 1990s.
Seven swimmers tested positive for drugs in the 1994 Asian Games, and four
years later four Chinese swimmers failed pre-tournament drug tests before
the World Championships in Australia.
Chinese officials insist they have cleaned up the sport, but earlier this
year another 16-year-old swimming prodigy, Li Zhesi, failed a drug test.
All medal winners at the Olympics are drug tested. In addition, any athlete
whose performance is far better than anything they have achieved before can
be targeted for extra tests.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19062639 |
|
