国际泳联警告霍顿,孙杨未受太多影响
FINA decided on Monday to send a warning to Australia's swimming body and Mack Horton for a controversial move on the part of the Australian swimmer in the men's 400m freestyle awarding ceremony. "The FINA Executive met today in Gwangju to analyze the situation related with the men's 400m free victory ceremony and has decided to send a warning letter to Swimming Australia Ltd and to athlete Mack Horton," the FINA said in a statement. China's Olympic champion Sun Yang won his fourth straight world title in the men's 400m freestyle at the 18th FINA World Championships in the South Korean city of Gwangju on Sunday. During the awarding ceremony, Horton did not step onto the podium after claiming a silver medal in the event. "While FINA respects the principle of freedom of speech, it has to be conducted in the right context," said the FINA. "As in all major sports organizations, our athletes and their entourages are aware of their responsibilities to respect FINA regulations and not to use FINA events to make personal statements or gestures," the statement noted. The statement added: "The matter over which Mack Horton was allegedly protesting is currently under review by Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and therefore it is not appropriate for FINA to prejudice this hearing by commenting further." Sun requested a public hearing at the CAS to defend his innocence against alleged anti-doping rule violations. Discussing Horton's refusal to stand on the podium next to him, Sun said: "Not everyone likes me. I don't care about it. It is also OK if you don't respect me personally, but during the victory ceremony, which is the most important event, we all represent our countries, you should stand on the podium, and show your respect to my country China and your country Australia and to the audience." The Australian swimmer previously dubbed his Chinese rival a dope cheat. Sun served a three-month ban in 2014 after testing positive to a banned substance. He said he unwittingly took the drug as part of treatment for a chronic heart problem. In 2017, Sun took a sweet revenge by clocking 3 minutes 41.38 seconds, finishing 2.47 sec ahead of second-place Horton at the World Aquatics Championships. Sun is now tied second with Ryan Lochte of the United States with 10 individual gold medals in the Worlds. The USA's Michael Phelps still leads the table with 15 golds from individual events. Sun will also compete in the 200m and 800m and relay events in Gwangju. In 2016, Horton upset Sun to win men's 400m freestyle gold at the Rio Olympics. Horton clocked 3 minutes 41.55 seconds, eclipsing Sun by just 13 hundredths of a second at the Olympic Aquatics stadium. Australian swimmer Mack Horton has been criticised for refusing to stand alongside Chinese swimmer Sun Yang in a defiant protest at the world championships in South Korea. Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority CEO Richard Ings said that Horton should receive a heavy penalty for the protest. |