The Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) defended the three-month ban handed out to world and Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang for a doping offence.
The CSA said yesterday that Sun made a mistake, but never intended to cheat.
“Sun took the drug without an intention to improve his result, but both he and the Zhejiang swimming association had made mistakes,” the organisation said.
Sun, who competes for the Zhejiang swimming association, served the suspension in secret earlier this year after testing positive for the banned stimulant trimetazidine during the Chinese national championships in May.
The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) could have imposed a longer ban, but decided on three months because Sun had been given medication by a doctor to treat a heart issue and was unaware it had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) banned list this year.
“We believe Sun did not intend to cheat,” said Xu Qi, team leader of the Chinese national swimming team.
“The punishment was in accordance with related rules and reasonable.”
Swimming’s world governing body, Fina, issued a brief notice confirming the three-month ban and announced that a 12-month suspension was handed down to Sun’s doctor, Ba Zhen.
But news of the ban was not announced until Monday, prompting questions from within swimming and the public as to why it was not detailed earlier.
In China, where Sun is regarded as a national hero after winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, the media were looking for answers.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, raised several questions in a commentary piece on the ban Sun had served.
The paper asked why Sun did not declare his medication to the doping control officer and why star athletes “still do not understand the rules”.
“Perhaps society cannot demand that public figures maintain excellence in everything, but to ask that public figures pass every test in every undertaking, that standard is not too much,” the paper wrote.
“Clearly Sun Yang has shortcomings and those closest to him have not helped him improve.”
On Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, the hashtag “Sun Yang’s punishment for doping” was viewed more than 67 million times.
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PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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