Sun Yang hearing: stop judging Chinese swimmer and focus on changing broken anti-doping system, top rights lawyer says
- Former Olympian Nikki Dryden urges Sun Yang’s rivals to avoid worrying about whether he is ‘dirty or clean’ – the ‘best swimmers will just get on with it’
- Canadian says swimmers should raise their voices to call for anti-doping bodies to show more transparency and respect for athletes’ rights
A leading sports lawyer has encouraged the anti-Sun Yang brigade to stop judging the Chinese swimmer and instead fight to change a broken system in which a lack of transparency has only served to inflame his doping controversy.
The 29-year-old Sun last week completed his second hearing with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) brought a case against him for refusing a doping test in September 2018.
Former Canadian Olympic swimmer and human rights lawyer Nikki Dryden said swimmers who have criticised the three-time Olympic champion – such as Australia’s Mack Horton who called him a “drug cheat” – should stand up for athletes’ rights.
“I would encourage swimmers to read a wide variety of sources when trying to understand Sun’s case,” said Dryden. “I am a lawyer with 15 years of legal experience and 30 years in elite sport. [Even] I have a hard time keeping up with the process in this matter.
“Instead of focusing on whether Sun is ‘dirty or clean’, I would love to see swimmers think critically about the system that created this mess and demand of our sporting leaders, those at Fina, the IOC, Wada and the CAS, that the system puts athletes’ rights first, is transparent, and supportive.
