BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday (Aug 20) hailed the Chinese Olympic delegation for maintaining high standards of “morality, style and cleanliness” in their pursuit of gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
His comment comes amid renewed scrutiny over doping issues involving Chinese swimmers and increased government efforts to address fan culture in sports after fans used social media to attack and spread rumours about the country’s Olympians.
At the Great Hall of the People, Xi lauded the athletes for their achievements, exemplary discipline and manners.
“On the field, (Chinese Olympians) obeyed the rules, respected the opponents … maintained good race discipline and civilized etiquette,” Xi said in his meeting with the athletes.
The Chinese swim team has faced heightened scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021 but were permitted to compete in the Tokyo Olympics that year.
Swimmer Pan Zhanle, who set a world record in the 100m freestyle, disclosed that he underwent 21 doping tests from May to July prior to the games.
