'Evil defeats justice': Sun Yang's lawyer releases wild statement

The lawyer for banned Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has issued a fiery statement to the press, doubling down on his client’s vow to fight what he considers to be an illegitimate ban from the sport.

Yang was banned from competition for eight years on Friday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a WADA appeal relating to an incident in which Yang smashed vials containing his own blood samples.

SPEAKING OUT: Aussie swimmer Mack Horton reacts to Sun Yang doping ban

The Chinese star has long argued the officials who took blood samples for doping purposes did not properly identify themselves, and that it was those officials who decided not to proceed with the test.

“This is unfair. I firmly believe in my innocence,” Sun told Chinese news outlet Xinhua on Friday.

“I will definitely appeal to let more people know the truth.”

Now, Yang’s lawyer has announced the swimmer plans to sue a doping inspector who they allege provided “false evidence” to the CAS enquiry.

“February 28, 2020 was a dark day. It shows the scene where evil defeats justice and power replaces self-evident truths,” Beijing-based lawyer Zhang Qihuai’s statement read.

“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.”

Mack Horton targeted after Sun Yang verdict

Agitated social media users from China have flooded the social media pages of Australian swimmer Mack Horton in response to the bombshell eight-year ban handed to his bitter rival, Sun Yang.

Horton welcomed the verdict, but said it would not affect his preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

In the wake of the CAS decision, hundreds of Chinese social media users have targeted Horton online - but he’s not the only athlete to incur their wrath.

Basketballer Andrew Bogut, himself a vocal critic of both Sun Yang and China in general, also had to deal with angry comments directed at him.

Several ugly comments appeared on Horton’s most recent Instagram post, including one which simply read ‘your mom just dead’.

Other comments brought up Horton’s high-profile protest against Yang at the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea, in which he refused to share the podium with his Chinese rival.

“Foreigners are jealous. It is really unfair to treat Sun Yang in this way. Since when did competitive sports become villain sports,” said one user called ‘Lingering memories’ on microblogging website Weibo Corp.

“Mack Horton jumped out first to insult Sun Yang. It’s really impolite,” read another comment on Instagram.

“Does he think he is a god who knows all the truth?”