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A Star Swimmer’s Doping Hearing Gets Lost in Translation

Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA, via Shutterstock

MONTREUX, Switzerland — International swimming’s favorite villain, Sun Yang, endured a spectacle Friday as the highest court in sports held a rare public hearing for an athlete’s doping case.

The high-stakes battle about the eligibility of Sun, a six-time Olympic medalist and a star in his native China, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport quickly descended into confusion. There were translation issues throughout the day and a pitched confrontation between Sun’s mother and opposing lawyers during cross-examination.

At stake is whether Sun, one of his sport’s dominant figures, will be able to compete in the 2020 Olympics.