The World Anti-Doping Agency will be represented by acclaimed U.S.-based lawyer Richard Young when it tries to prove Sun Yang is deserving of a ban from swimming between two and eight years Friday in Switzerland, the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
A release from the Court of Arbitration for Sports earlier this week listed WADA’s representing firm as Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, at which Young is a partner. Young is one of the world’s leading anti-doping lawyers and advised the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in sealing the fate of athletes in high-profile cases including those of cyclist Lance Armstrong and his former teammates Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton, as well as track & field’s Marion Jones in her connection to the BALCO scandal.
Once hailed as a hero, Armstrong became a cautionary tale when USADA dealt him a lifetime ban from sports in 2012 and he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and a 2000 Olympics medal.
According to his firm’s website, Young’s past clients have included not only WADA and USADA, but also the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, the Mountain West Conference, the National Football Foundation, Ironman, World Surf League, the men’s and women’s professional golf and tennis tours, USA Swimming, USA Basketball and additional Olympic national governing bodies and international federations.
Further, Young literally wrote the book on world anti-doping policy. WADA pegged him as its lead draftsman on its original anti-doping code in the early 2000s, standardizing anti-doping rules and punishments worldwide. He also played a role in the 2009 and 2015 amendments to the code.
Meanwhile, Sun is already in Switzerland and posted on Chinese social media site Weibo that he is “well-prepared to go all out.”
[Nov 12 2019] Sun Yang Weibo Update : There's always sun after the storm. For every victory, I've already well-prepared to go all out.#SunYang #孙杨 #孫楊 pic.twitter.com/yJ6iOkb3yY
— Sun Yang International Fans (@SunYangIntlFans) November 13, 2019
The hearing begins at 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Eastern time) Friday. To get caught up on SwimSwam’s coverage, click here.
This is gonna be so juicy.
“The plantiff would like to call Mack Horton to the stand”
“The defendant would like to call Shayna Jack to the stand”
There are 3 sides putting their case forward .An interesting look at US vs GB vs Swiss vs China legal teams . I for one commend Sun for letting this be public .
Mack Horton would refuse to get onto the stand.
Shayna Jack would be absent just before the trial for personal reasons.
That was pretty funny.
At least we find out about Jack one week later . Unlike Yang 6 months later , or Dwyer 10 months later .