The Chinese Swimming Association has announced it will be issuing a "warning penalty" to swimmers Wang Lizhuo and An Jiabao after they tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, according to Jessica Macy Yu of REUTERS. A "terse" CSA statement posted online on Monday said that it would "also be warning and fining Wang's Chinese Navy team and An's Tianjin club as well as fining their coaches." Wang and An's identities were revealed when the CSA announced last week that "six Chinese swimmers had failed doping tests" during the '15-16 season. It identified a third swimmer as Chinese Navy's Zhao Ying. Clenbuterol is a performance-enhancing substance "sometimes found in weight-loss pills" that is on the WADA banned list. The use of doping stimulants in Chinese swimming "caught worldwide attention" last week when WADA announced it was investigating claims published by the London Times that Chinese sports authorities were suppressing five positive tests to "avoid a storm." The Chinese anti-doping agency (CHINADA) denied it was "covering up" the tests, arguing that it was following protocols by protecting the identities of the swimmers while test procedures and hearings were still underway. Monday's statement said that Wang and An's coaches "will each face fines equivalent to the cost of five stimulant detection tests," amounting to 5,000 yuan ($767.94) (REUTERS, 3/29).
