SONIA ON ALERT AFTER CHINESE DOPING CLAIMS
CLAIMS that more than 10,000 Chinese athletes used banned substances during the 1980s and 1990s will be investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s intelligence unit. The allegations will be of huge interest to Sonia O’Sullivan, who was denied gold by Chinese athletes twice at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, beaten into fourth by three Chinese women in the 3,000m before claiming silver behind another Chinese athlete in the 1,500m. Chinese doctor Xue Yinxian told German broadcaster ARD that ‘all international medals’ won by her country during that period should be declared void because they are ‘tainted by doping’. The 79-year-old, who is seeking political asylum in Germany, said athletes as young as 11 were doped and alleged the state-run system covered every sport from athletics to weightlifting. Xue also suggests the system may have continued after she was dismissed from the national team for refusing to give a young gymnast a banned substance at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In a statement, WADA said it has seen Xue’s interview but points out the difficulties it would have in prosecuting cases at least 30 years after the alleged offences. The WADA code — the set of rules which harmonises antidoping policies across global sport — was only introduced in 2003 and the statute of limitations for violations of the rules was increased from eight years to 10 years in 2015. However, WADA has promised ‘necessary and appropriate steps will be taken’, if possible under the current rules. The International Olympic Committee confirmed it was aware of WADA’s investigation into the claims. ‘The World Anti-Doping Agency is looking into the allegations — this is their role,’ a spokesperson said.