Three-time Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang came out swinging Saturday against his eight-year drugs ban, threatening legal action of his own as he attempts to salvage his broken career.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hit the Chinese freestyler with the lengthy ban on Friday for refusing to give a doping sample in September 2018.
It is the 28-year-old's second ban for doping, having served three months in 2014, and he said in the immediate aftermath that he would appeal at the Swiss federal court.
A lawyer for Sun, a hugely popular figure in China, issued a fiery statement on Saturday reiterating that he will appeal, based on "a series of procedural errors".
"February 28, 2020 was a dark day. It shows the scene where evil defeats justice and power replaces self-evident truths," Beijing lawyer Zhang Qihuai said in a statement.
"On this day, CAS listened to prejudice, turned a blind eye to rules and procedures, turned a blind eye to facts and evidence, and accepted all lies and false evidence."
- 'Nothing personal' -
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Australian media revelled in Sun's demise with the Sydney Morning Herald saying:
"Career-ending ban vindicates Horton's contempt for star."
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