China sink in drugs mire again

China risk being kicked out of the world championships in Perth and having to hand back the medals they have won after another four of their swimmers tested positive for banned drugs yesterday.

The championships, already under a cloud after Yuan Yuan was caught trying to smuggle human growth hormones (HGH) into Australia last week, were rocked again by the latest scandal. Three women - Wang Luna, Cai Huijue and Zhang Yi - and one man - Wang Wei - all tested positive for the banned diuretic Triamterene at an out-of-competition doping test held before the championships started.

The drug is widely used by athletes to flush other illegal substances, such as anabolic steroids, out of their system so they return a negative result when they undergo a dope test. Under swimming's doping regulations it carries a mandatory four-year ban.

A Ukrainian and two coaches were also banned yesterday by FINA, world swimming's governing body, for failing a dope test for metabolites.

Australia's head coach, Don Talbot, led the calls for FINA to enforce their own rule about four positive drug tests automatically leading to a nation being suspended. "The rule is there and it should be used," he said. "If you give four strikes you are out. China should not be able to compete under FINA's own rules."

Nine-times US Olympic gold medallist Mark Spitz agreed with Talbot. He said: "FINA made the (four strikes) rule, they must enforce it."

FINA's secretary Gunnar Werner said what actions they would take beyond the suspensions of individuals had not yet been discussed.

There had already been calls for the Chinese to be thrown out of the championships after customs officers at Sydney airport busted Yuan. She was caught with 13 phials of banned HGH in her baggage when she arrived on her way to Perth last Thursday. Her coach Zhou Zhewen claimed he had put it in her bag.

Yuan was yesterday given a four-year ban under the FINA rule which prohibits trading, trafficking, distributing or selling any banned substances. Zhou, meanwhile, has been given a record 15-year suspension. The Chinese team have distanced themselves from Yuan and Zhou, claiming they were acting independently.

But this latest controversy once again heightens suspicions of a systematic doping programme. The detection of the same drug in four Chinese is reminiscent of the swoop at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima when four male and three female Chinese swimmers all tested positive for the anabolic steroid dehydrotestosterone.

The latest discovery may leave another sour taste in the mouth, but is a major triumph for testers from the Australian Sports Drug Agency, who have raided the Chinese hotel on several occasions, before and after the discovery of the hormones in Yuan's luggage.

"Some people criticised this plan, they didn't think they'd catch them as close to the meet," said Charlie Synder, a coach for the US swimming team. "Obviously you can and now we've got to take the steps necessary to make sure the sport is clean, not just from the cheaters from China but people who want to break the rules in any country." David Gerrard, a leading sports medicine doctor and a member of FINA's medical committee overseeing testing at these championships, said of the latest doping drama: "Diuretics are taken to release fluid, they are not a performance-enhancing drug, but have been included on the IOC's banned list for health reasons and for their implications in masking steroid use.

"They enable the body to pass more urine more quickly and in so doing, it's thought you can accelerate the body's ability to rid itself of a drug."

In another development yesterday, a Danish biotechnological firm Novo Nordisk confirmed that a Chinese state import agency bought the HGH product found last week by Australian customs officials.

"Novo Nordisk's Nordritropin HGH is purchased from us by a Chinese state import agency for use in hospitals and by paediatricians involved in children's growth problems," Novo communications consultant Anders Rosbo said.

"It is not difficult to imagine that the drug might have got into the hands of an unscrupulous doctor who sold the product to someone outside the state health service," Rosbo said.

Meanwhile, in the pool at Perth yesterday, Alexander Popov proved himself the master free-styler once again when he saw off the challenge of young pretender Michael Klim to retain his 100 metres freestyle title.

The 26-year-old Russian extended his incomparable record of victories in the classic event of the swimming programme and vanquished training partner Klim acknowledged his supremacy.

"Today I was beaten by a better man and I have no regrets," the 20-year-old Australian said.

The one bright moment of the day for China was the victory of 16-year-old Chen Yan in the opening 400 metres freestyle.

Chen, who won China's only other pool gold so far in the 400 metres individual medley on Monday, overhauled American Olympic 800 freestyle champion Brooke Bennett in the final 100 and won by 0.35 seconds in 4:06.72.